The Measurements of the Intensity of Light

Abstract

The wave theory’s ability to explain diffraction had long been considered one of the most important facts in favor of the theory. Even some opponents of the wave theory, such as Brewster, had to admit the advantage of the wave theory in explaining this phenomenon. Although diffraction seemed to be the last area where disputes between the two rival theories of light could occur, the wave account of diffraction was still challenged in the early 1840s. It was Richard Potter, Professor of Natural Philosophy and Astronomy at University College, London, who launched a series of attacks, based on his photometric experiments. The debate between Potter and wave theorists was quite unusual because it centered on diffraction, the stronghold of the wave theory.