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Newton Corpuscular Theory

The branch of optics that deals with the production, emission and propagation of light, its nature and the study of the phenomena of interference diffraction and polarization is called physical optics. The basic principles regarding the nature of light were formulated in the latter half of the seventeenth century. Until about this time, the general belief was that light consisted of a stream of particles called corpuscles. These corpuscles were given out by a light source (an electric lamp, a candle, sun etc.) and they travelled in straight lines with large velocities. The originator of the emission or corpuscular theory was Sir Isaac Newton. According to this theory, a luminous body continuously emits tiny, light and elastic particles called corpuscles in all directions. These particles or corpuscles are so small that they can readily travel through the interstices of the particles of matter with the velocity of light and they possess the property of reflection from a polished surface or transmission through a transparent medium. When these particles fall on the retina of the eye, they produce the sensation of vision. On the basis of this theory, phenomena like rectilinear propagation , reflection and refraction could be accounted for, satisfactorily. Since the particles are emitted with high speed from a luminous body, they, in the absence of other forces, travel in straight lines according to Newton’s second of other forces, travel in straight lines according to Newton’s second law of motion. This explains rectilinear propagation of light.