Diagram on Alhazen's problem
Date
9 April 1672
Creator
Unknown, Artist
Object type
Archive reference number
Manuscript page number
p3a
Material
Dimensions
height (page): 85mm
width (page): 121mm
width (page): 121mm
Subject
Description
A re-drawn figure from EL/H1/72/002, with the key 'Fig. 1', suggesting that this was used for printing in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, vol. 8, no. 98 (where the same figure is labelled Fig. 1'). This pertains to Christian Huygens's solution to Alhazen's problem, conveyed to Henry Oldenburg in a letter dated 9 April 1672.
The problem attributed to Alhazen (the Latinized name of Ibn al-Haytham (965-1045)) is to find a point of reflection on the surface of a spherical mirror in relation to two points, the eye and the visible object.
The problem attributed to Alhazen (the Latinized name of Ibn al-Haytham (965-1045)) is to find a point of reflection on the surface of a spherical mirror in relation to two points, the eye and the visible object.
Object history
Printed as R. F. Slusius and C. Huygens, 'Continuation of the optical problem of Alhazen', Phil. Trans. vol. 8, no. 98 (November 1673), pp. 6140-46, fig. 1.
Related fellows
Christiaan Huygens (1629 - 2006, Dutch) , Natural philosopher
Henry Oldenburg (1612 - 1677, German) , Scientific correspondent
Henry Oldenburg (1612 - 1677, German) , Scientific correspondent
Associated place