On This Day In History: Light Exposed

April 23, 1827: Shedding a Ray of Light on Rays of Light – Wired

1827: Mathematics student William Rowan Hamilton presents his “Theory of Systems of Rays” at the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin. The paper lays the foundation of modern optics, and it’s only the first act in a distinguished career.

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This “Hamilton principal function” used mathematics to apply a single system for optics and mechanics. It led to the development of the wave theory of light and the electromagnetic spectrum, and it underlies quantum mechanics.

Hamilton’s landmark “Theory of Systems of Rays” paper, and his other papers published in his lifetime, can be found at the following page in various formats.

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