John Dollond's Prismatic Experiments: The Beginning of a Long Way

TL;DR

This paper uses computer simulations to analyze John Dollond's prism experiments, revealing the optical parameters that could have enabled his achromatic lens development, challenging prior refraction theories.

Contribution

It provides a novel simulation-based analysis of Dollond's experiments, identifying feasible optical parameters for achromatic lenses in historical context.

Findings

Simulations identify optical parameter boundaries for glasses used by Dollond.

Results suggest achromatic lenses were theoretically possible with certain materials.

Supports historical claims about Dollond's pioneering work in optics.

Abstract

The English optician John Dollond (1706-1761) performed a number of experiments with prisms of various transparent materials and concluded that an achromatic lens could exist. At that time, the dominant opinion about light refraction denied this possibility. This work presents the computer simulations of these experiments. Simulations allowed us to indicate the boundaries on an optical parameters of glasses, which could be used by J. Dollond in his prism experiments.