Nov., t9o3.] Airy's Theory o f the Rainbow.

335

PHYSICAL SECTION.
Slated M'eeting, held Thursday, Odober z, 19o3.

Airy's Theory of the Rainbow.

BY D. HA~IMER.

U p to some s e v e n t y years ago Descartes' view of the

formation of the r a i n b o w was universally accepted. In i836
the E n g l i s h a s t r o n o m e r A i r y p u b l i s h e d a n e w theory, but,
as it often happens, it f o u n d few admirers, s o m e a d m i t t i n g
it only for the explanation of the so-called s u p e r n u m e r a r y
bows. Of late years, however, several scholars h a v e en-
d e a v o r e d again t o d r a w the a t t e n t i o n of scientists to Airy's
t h e o r y ; as p r o m i n e n t a m o n g t h e m m a y b e m e n t i o n e d
Messrs. M a s c a r t and Pernter.
W h y , then, one m i g h t ask, is Airy's t h e o r y so little k n o w n
whilst t h a t of Descartes is almost u n i v e r s a l l y t a u g h t ? T h e
reason m a y b e f o u n d in the difficult calculations requisite
for a full u n d e r s t a n d i n g of Airy's theory. If, therefore, it
cannot, to a sufficient d e g r e e at least, be b r o u g h t within the
reach of non-experts in physics and h i g h e r m a t h e m a t i c s , no
one will require of o u r colleges and text-books to p a y m u c h
a t t e n t i o n to it. B u t this is n o t the case. In his " E i n
Versuch, der r i c h t i g e n T h e o r i e des R e g e n b o g e n s E i n g a n g
in die Mittelschulen zu verschaffen," Mr. P e r n t e r s u c c e e d e d
in p u t t i n g it into such form t h a t it m a y w i t h o u t difficulty
be i n t r o d u c e d into high-schools and colleges.
In this e s s a y we shall strive for the same e n d ; our mate-
rial is d r a w n from Mr. "Pernter's writings on this subject.*
In order to show t h e differences b e t w e e n the two theories,
we first give a short a c c o u n t of t h a t of Descartes.

* " Ein Versuch, der richtigen Theorie des Regenbogens Ei~gang in die
Mittelschulen zu versehaffen," " N e u e s fiber den R e g e n b o g e n " and "Die
Farben des Regenbogens."
Dr. J. M. Pernter is Professor at the University of Vienna (Austria) ; he
is acknowledged as an authority in meteorology.