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nydus/Miscellanea Curiosa, Vol. 1Public
Page 130 of 441
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Miscellanea Curiosa.

proceeded to examine more critically, what might be effected by the difference of the incidence of Rays coming from divers parts of the Sun; and to that end, measur'd the several Lines and Angles belonging to the Image. Its distance from the Hole or Prism was twenty two Foot; its utmost length 13¼ Inches; its breadth 2⅝; the Diameter of the Hole ¼ of an Inch; the Angle, with the Rays, tending towards the middle of the Image, made with those Lines, in which they would have proceeded without Refraction, was 44° 56'. And the Vertical Angle of the Prism, 63° 12'. Also the Refractions on both sides the Prism, that is, of the Incident, and Emergent Rays, were as near, as I could make them, equal, and consequently about 54° 4'. And the Rays fell perpendicularly upon the Wall. Now subducting the Diameter of the Hole from the length and breadth of the Image, there remains 13 Inches the length, and 2⅜ the breadth, comprehended by those Rays, which passed thro' the Center of the said Hole, and consequently the Angle of the Hole, which that breadth subtended, was about 31', answerable to the Sun's Diameter; but the Angle, which its length subtended, was more than five such Diameters, namely 2° 49'.

Having made these Observations, I first computed from them the refractive Power of that Glass, and found it measur'd by the ratio of the Sines, twenty to thirty one. And then, by that ratio, I computed the Refractions of two Rays

flowing from opposite parts of the Sun's discus, so as to differ 31' in their obliquity of Incidence, and found that the emergent Rays should have comprehended an Angle of about 31', as they did, before they were incident.

But because this Computation was founded on the Hypothesis of the proportionality of the Sines of Incidence and Refraction, which, tho' by my own Experience I could not imagine to be so erroneous as to make that Angle but 31', which in reality was 2°

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