Download or read book The Rise of the Wave Theory of Light written by Jed Z. Buchwald and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 1989-01-04 with total page 512 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Part 1 - Selectionism -- 1. The Optical Ray -- 2. The Concept of Polarization -- 3. Arago and the Discovery of Chromatic Polarization -- 4. Mobile Polarization -- Part 2 - Fresnel, Diffraction, and Polarization -- 5. Fresnel's Ray Theory of Diffraction -- 6. Huygen's Principle and the Wave Theory -- 7. The Puzzle of Polarization -- 8. Transverse Waves -- Part 3 - Controversy and Unification -- 9. A Case of Mutual Misunderstanding -- 10. Selectionists and Polarization after 1815 -- 11. Fresnel's Final Unification -- 12. The Emerging Dominance of the Wave Theory.