Sir Isaac Newton
1643 - 1727
Sir Isaac Newton was one of the first people to study light scientifically.
In 1672, Newton directed a beam of white light through a triangular bar of glass, called a ÒprismÓ. He discovered that the light coming out of the prism was separated into bands of colors.
The arrangement of colors produced by a prism is called a ÒspectrumÓ.
Prior to this it was believed that Òwhite lightÓ was equal to purity.
A Quantitative Study of Light