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Emerging Theories of Light and Measurements of Light Speed

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Abstract

Prior to the emergence of Greek intellectuals in the classical antiquity era, little is recorded of any scientific or critical thinking on the nature of light or its interaction with the eye. Around 500 BC the Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras of Samos (ca. 560 BC–480 BC) contemplated and theorized on the physical nature of visible light. He believed that emitted light from luminous objects could undergo reflections and be received by the human eye to produce vision.

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Correspondence to Dennis F. Vanderwerf .

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Vanderwerf, D.F. (2017). Emerging Theories of Light and Measurements of Light Speed. In: The Story of Light Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64316-8_1

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