How 17th century scientists made pinholes?

  • Context: High School 
  • Thread starter Thread starter mehrdad_baghery
  • Start date Start date
Click For Summary
SUMMARY

17th century scientists, including Fresnel and Fraunhofer, utilized simple techniques to create optical equipment such as pinholes and gratings. A basic method for making a pinhole involves puncturing aluminum foil with a pin, while gratings can be made by coating glass with soot and drawing parallel lines with a razor. The first known diffraction grating was created by David Rittenhouse in 1785 using human hairs, a technique later refined by Fraunhofer in 1821. The advent of photography around 1830 likely influenced the methods used for optical reduction in creating gratings.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of basic optical principles
  • Familiarity with materials like aluminum foil and glass
  • Knowledge of historical figures in optics, specifically Fresnel and Fraunhofer
  • Awareness of diffraction and its applications in optics
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the process of creating diffraction gratings using modern techniques
  • Explore the historical context of optical advancements in the 18th and 19th centuries
  • Learn about the principles of diffraction and its significance in optics
  • Investigate the impact of photography on optical science and equipment development
USEFUL FOR

Historians of science, optical engineers, educators in physics, and anyone interested in the evolution of optical technology.

mehrdad_baghery
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
I am highly curious about how did 17th century scientists like Fresnel, Fraunhofer, etc. made optical equipment such as gratings, pinholes, etc.?
 
Science news on Phys.org
Make your own pinhole:
Take a piece of aluminum foil. Poke a pin through it. You have a pinhole.

Make a grating:
Coat a piece of glass with soot. Take a straight edge and with a thin razor, draw consecutive parrallel lines on the soot.

It might be how those guys did it but do not quote me on it.
 
Fresnel and Fraunhofer were both early 19th century physicists, not 17th.

"In 1785 Rittenhouse made perhaps the first diffraction grating using 50 hairs between two finely threaded screws, with an approximate spacing of about 100 lines per inch. This was roughly the same technique that Joseph von Fraunhofer used in 1821 for his wire diffraction grating." -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Rittenhouse

Photography dates back to ca. 1830, which is not much later than Fresnel and Fraunhofer. I don't know, but I would guess that once photography came along, they started using optical reduction to make gratings.

Interesting stuff here about natural diffraction gratings: http://rsif.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/2/2/1.full
 

Similar threads

Undergrad How to observe Fresnel diffraction at home?
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
Graduate How could one measure degree of coherence with Fresnel birprism?
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
3K
Undergrad How Can I Build an Effective DIY Helmet-Mounted HUD?
  • · Replies 19 ·
Replies
19
Views
6K
Graduate Evidencing interference pattern using Young's slits and sunlight - help required
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
3K
Undergrad Optical power lost at a pinhole
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
Graduate Feasibility of Micro‑Plasma–Induced Refractive‑Index Phase Modulation
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
687
Physics Move from technician to scientist
  • · Replies 19 ·
Replies
19
Views
4K
Undergrad How to couple light from a very small source into spectrometer?
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
2K
Undergrad Condenser lens retrofit for a lighting application
  • · Replies 24 ·
Replies
24
Views
3K
Undergrad Angle relationships of a blazed diffraction grating
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
3K