Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Newton's rings
The phenomenon of Newton's rings is an interference pattern caused by the reflection of light between two surfaces - a spherical surface and an adjacent flat surface. It appears as a series of concentric, alternating light and dark rings centred at the point of contact between the two surfaces. The light rings are caused by constructive interference between the incident and reflected light rays, while the dark rings are caused by destructive interference.
The effect was named after the physicist Isaac Newton, who was the first to analyze it.
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Last updated: 05-07-2005 12:20:01
12-03-2008 10:22:39
The contents of this article is licensed from www.wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License. Click here to see the transparent copy and copyright details
The contents of this article is licensed from www.wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License. Click here to see the transparent copy and copyright details