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The History of Physics Podcast
The History of Physics Podcast episodes
- Newton’s Prism Experiment: How He Split White Light and Unveiled the Spectrum
In this episode we dive into Newton’s 1660s prism experiment that revealed white light as a mix of colors, reshaping optics and setting the stage for spectroscopy. We trace how the Great Plague pushed Newton to innovate with glass wedges, the debate over his findings, and the lasting impact on measurement standards and modern physics.
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18 min
About The History of Physics Podcast
From the publisher's feed
Explore the extraordinary history of physics, from the earliest attempts to explain motion, matter, light, and the heavens to the discoveries that transformed our understanding of space, time, energy, atoms, and the universe. The History of Physics Podcast follows the thinkers, experiments, equations, instruments, institutions, and scientific revolutions that built modern physics across thousands of years.
Episodes trace ideas from ancient Greek natural philosophy, astronomy, and mechanics through the Scientific Revolution, Galileo, Kepler, Newton, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, optics, statistical mechanics, relativity, quantum theory, nuclear physics, particle physics, cosmology, and the search for deeper laws of nature. The show also explores famous experiments, rivalries between scientists, failed theories, technological breakthroughs, major laboratories, mathematical innovations, and the historical circumstances that changed the direction of scientific thought.
Whether you are interested in Newton and Einstein, quantum mechanics, black holes, electricity, atomic theory, space exploration, or the people behind the equations, the podcast tells the human story of how physics developed and why its discoveries changed civilization. The History of Physics Podcast is hosted by Josh Linsk.