Fig. 7. NEWTON'S CELEBRATED EXPEKIMEHT SHOWING THE DECOMPOSITION 

 or LIGHT. 



COMMON THINGS. 



COLOUR. 

 CHAPTEE II. 



14. Diffusion of light by all visible objects. 15. Decomposition of light by 

 visible objects. 16. Experimental proof of the composition of light. 

 17. The prismatic spectrum. 18. The composition of solar light 19. 

 The recomposition of light by prism and concave reflector. 20. The 

 same by prism and lens. 21. The same with artificial colours. 

 22. Light of the same colour may have different refrangibilities. 23. 

 Colours produced by combining different rays of the spectrum. 24. 

 Complementary colours. 25. Colours of natural bodies generally com- 

 pound. 26. Method of observing the spectrum by direct vision. 27. 

 Why objects seen through prism are fringed with colours. 28. The 

 prismatic colours, not all simple. 29. Sir D. Brewster's analysis of 

 the spectrum. 



14. BUT the solar light is farther diffused by being again irre- 

 gularly reflected from the surface of all the natural objects upon 

 which it falls. The light thus irregularly reflected from the air 

 falling upon all natural objects, is again reciprocally reflected from 

 one to another of these through an indefinite series of multiplied 

 reflections, so as to produce that diffused and general illumination 

 which is necessary for the purposes of vision. 



Light and shade are relative terms, signifying only different 

 degrees of illumination. There is no shade so dark into which 

 some light does not penetrate. 



LARDNER'S MUSEUM OP SCIENCE. p 65 



No. 01. 



