An historical example of an analogy in scientific thinking:
"… Newton … suppose luminous objects actually to dart out from them in all directions…without ever coming in actual contact with the particles themselves of the bodies on which they fall, but either being turned back and reflected by the repulsive forces before they reach them, or penetrating between their intervals, as a bird may be supposed to fly through the branches of a forest…"
Sir John F. W. Herschel
Herschel, J. F. W. (1830). Preliminary Discourse on the Study of Natural Philosophy.
Read examples of scientific analogies
"The quoted passage from Sir John Frederick William Herschel's work "Preliminary Discourse on the Study of Natural Philosophy" uses a vivid simile to describe a theory of how light interacts with matter. In this analogy, luminous objects, such as stars or candles, emit light in a manner similar to how birds dart around: the light is cast out in all directions. However, when this light encounters other objects, it doesn't physically touch or collide with their particles. Instead, two possibilities occur: The light is turned back, or reflected, due to repulsive forces. This is akin to a bird being repelled and changing direction before it actually comes into contact with the branches of trees.
The light finds its way between the particles, much like a bird navigating through the gaps between the branches of a forest without touching them.
This passage is metaphorically describing light propagation and interaction theories of the time, which would later be deepened with the understanding of light as both a particle and a wave, leading to the development of quantum mechanics and the field of photonics."
Interpretation suggested by AI assistant:
AI Assitant
[Please be aware that a word may have different nuances, or even a different meaning, according to context.]« Back to Index
