Newton disc
Disco de Newton
- Date
- c. 1666-1704 · confidence low
- Place
- Cambridge, England, United Kingdom
- Credited to
- Isaac Newton
- Field
- Communication
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
Newton's disc, a spinning disc painted with the spectrum's colors that appears white when spun, illustrates the optical color mixing Newton described; the physical disc's own history is uncertain.
Newton described mixing colors by spinning a painted top, but it is doubtful he himself built a spinning disc as a demonstration; the term "Newton's disc" came later.
What it led to
- Demonstrations of persistence of vision
- Newton's discs in magic lantern shows
- Studies of additive color mixing
- Popularization of Newton's optics