Optics
In
the Genius Arab Civilization, A. I Sabra stated, "Ibn
al Haytham's most important contribution were in the fields
of optics, mathematics, and astronomy. His most important
single work is the comprehensive Kitab al-Manazir (the
Book of Optics). Until the revival of optics in Persia,
towards the end of thirteenth century, Ibn Al-Haythm was
mainly known to the Islamic world as mathematician and
as an astronomer, but his best-known and most influential
work in Europe was the Optics. It was largely on this
bases of his book that George Satorn described Ibn Al-Haytham
as "the greatest Muslim physicist and one of the
greatest students of optics of all times." Other
optical subjects of Ibn Al-Haytham include: "On the
light of the Moon, that argues that the moon shines like
a self luminous object, though its light is borrowed from
the Sun; On the Halo and Rainbow; On Spherical Burning
Mirrors; On Paraboloidal Burning Mirrors; and On the Shape
of eclipse, which examines the camera obsecura phenomena.
The Invention
of the Camera
Ibn-alHaytham and his student Kamal ad-Din teamed up making
history when they first observed and record the camera
obsecura phenomenon. The obsecura phenomenon is literary
defined by Webster's dictionary as "dark chamber."
Usually is a cardboard with a tiny pinhole, that is the
ground work of a camera.
al-Haytham
What
is Taught: Isaac Newton's 17th century study
of lenses, light and prisms forms the foundation of the
modern science of optics.
What Should
be Taught: In the 1lth century al-Haytham determined
virtually everything that Newton advanced regarding optics
centuries prior and is regarded by numerous authorities
as the "founder of optics."
There
is little doubt that Newton was influenced by him. Al-Haytham
was the most quoted physicist of the Middle Ages.
His
works were utilized and quoted by a greater number of
European scholars during the 16th and 17th centuries than
those of Newton and Galileo combined.
What
is Taught: Isaac Newton, during the 17th century,
discovered that white light consists of various rays of
colored light.
What
Should be Taught: This discovery was made in
its entirety by al-Haytham(1lth century) and Kamal ad-Din
(14th century). Newton did make original discoveries,
but this was not one of them.
What
is Taught: The English scholar Roger Bacon
(d. 1292) first mentioned glass lenses for improving vision.
At nearly the same time, eyeglasses could be found in
use both in China and Europe.
What
Should be Taught: Ibn Firnas of Islamic Spain
invented eyeglasses during the 9th century, and they were
manufactured and sold throughout Spain for over two centuries.
Any
mention of eyeglasses by Roger Bacon was simply a regurgitation
of the work of al-Haytham (d. 1039), whose research Bacon
frequently referred to.
Optical
Diagram
al-Haytham
Print
Page 
Email
to a Friend
Optical
Diagram
Optical
Diagram
Optical
Diagram