Buzz
When light moves from one medium to another, it typically bends, or refracts. The law of refraction provides a method for predicting the amount of bending. Refraction finds numerous applications in optics and technology. Lenses utilize refraction to produce images of objects for various purposes, such as magnification. Prisms use refraction to generate a spectrum of colors from an incoming beam of light. Refraction also plays a crucial role in creating optical illusions like mirages. The law of refraction, also known as Snell’s Law, named after Willobrord Snell, who discovered it in 1621, is now a staple in undergraduate courses. Its discovery spanned centuries and involved numerous celebrated scientists, yet Thomas Harriot (1560-1621), the 16th-century English scientist, made the initial discovery of the sine law, a fact often overlooked by physicists despite ample published material documenting his contributions.
B
A contemporary of Shakespeare, Queen Elizabeth I, Johannes Kepler, and Galileo Galilei, Thomas Harriot (1560-1621) was an English scientist and mathematician. His principal biographer, J.W. Shirley, described him as the most profound mathematician of England in his time, and a remarkably imaginative and methodical experimental scientist. Harriot contributed significantly to the development of algebra and introduced the symbols '>' and '<' for 'more than' and 'less than'. His studies extended to navigation and astronomy. On September 17, 1607, Harriot observed a comet, later identified as Halley's. His meticulous observations enabled subsequent researchers to calculate the comet's orbit. Harriot was also the first in England to use a telescope for astronomical observation. In 1609, he sketched the moon and developed increasingly powerful lenses. By April 1611, he had crafted a lens with 32x magnification. Between October 1610 and February 1612, he studied Jupiter's moons, which had previously been discovered by Galileo. While observing these moons, he made another significant discovery: sunspots, which he observed 199 times between December 1610 and January 1613, contributing to our understanding of the sun's rotational period.
C
He was also an early English explorer of North America. He was a friend of the English courtier and explorer Sir Walter Raleigh and travelled to Virginia as a scientific observer on a colonising expedition in 1585. On June 30, 1585, his ship anchored at Roanoke Island ，off Virginia. On shore, Harriot observed the topography, flora and fauna, made many drawings and maps, and met the native people who spoke a language the English called Algonquian. Harriot worked out a phonetic transcription of the native people’s speech sounds and began to learn the language, which enabled him to converse to some extent with other natives the English encountered. Harriot wrote his report for Raleigh and published it as A Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia in 1588. Raleigh gave Harriot his own estate in Ireland, and Harriot began a survey of Raleigh’s Irish holdings. He also undertook a study of ballistics and ship design for Raleigh in advance of the Spanish Armada’s arrival.
D
Harriot maintained frequent correspondence with fellow scientists and mathematicians, primarily in England but also across mainland Europe, notably with Johannes Kepler. Kepler had also sought the law of refraction nearly two decades before Snell's discovery, relying initially on Ptolemy's early data. However, Ptolemy's data contained errors, leading Kepler to publish only an approximation in 1604. Kepler later attempted further experimental findings on refraction and engaged in correspondence with Thomas Harriot from 1606 to 1609, having heard of Harriot's extensive experiments. In 1606, Harriot sent Kepler tables of refraction data for various materials at a consistent incident angle, but the lack of detailed data limited their utility. Kepler requested additional information, but Harriot's reluctance to provide further details ultimately led Kepler to discontinue their correspondence in frustration.
E
Aside from his correspondence with Kepler, there exists no evidence that Harriot ever published his detailed findings on refraction. However, his personal notes reveal extensive investigations dating back significantly earlier than those of Kepler, Snell, and Descartes. Harriot conducted numerous experiments on refraction in the 1590s, and from his notes, it is evident that he had discovered the sine law as early as 1602. By around 1606, he had explored dispersion in prisms (predating Newton by about 60 years), measured refractive indices of different liquids in a hollow glass prism, studied refraction in crystal spheres, and correctly understood rainbow refraction before Descartes.
F
While his studies on refraction were extensive, Harriot's discoveries in other fields remained largely unpublished during his lifetime. Until this century, he was known primarily for his account of travels in Virginia published in 1588 and a treatise on algebra published posthumously in 1631. The reasons for Harriot's decision to keep his findings unpublished remain unclear. He wrote to Kepler citing poor health as a reason for withholding further information, though it is also possible he feared the suspicion of England's seventeenth-century religious establishment, which viewed mathematicians and scientists with skepticism.
G
Following his discovery of sunspots, Harriot's scientific output declined, likely due to a cancerous growth on his nose. Harriot passed away on July 2, 1621, in London, yet his legacy persisted beyond his death. Recent research has unveiled the breadth of his interests and original discoveries. His extensive collection of mathematical and scientific observations, described as 'thousands upon thousands of sheets,' was believed lost until 1784 when they were discovered at Henry Percy's estate by one of Percy's descendants. These papers eventually made their way to Franz Xaver Zach, the tutor of Percy's son. While some were handed to Oxford University Press, much preparation remains to be done before they can be published. Scholars have begun studying them, and recognition of Harriot's contributions has grown since the latter half of the twentieth century. Harriot's study of refraction is just one instance where his work intersected with independent studies conducted by contemporaries in Europe, yet his contributions in the history of optics merit acknowledgment.
Questions 1-5
Reading Passage has 7 paragraphs A-G.
Choose the correct heading for paragraphs B-E and G from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, i-x, in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.
List of Headings
i A misunderstanding in the history of science
ii Thomas Harriot’s biography
iii Unknown reasons for his unpublished works
iv Harriot’s 1588 publication on North America studies
v Expedition to the New World
vi Reluctant cooperation with Kepler
vii Belated appreciation of Harriot’s contribution
viii Religious pressures keeping him from publishing
ix Correspondence with Kepler
x Interests and researches into multiple fields of study
Example Answer
Paragraph A i
1 Paragraph B
2 Paragraph C
3 Paragraph D
4 Paragraph E
5 Paragraph G
Questions 6-10
Answer the questions below using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 6-10 on your answer sheet.
Various modem applications base on an image produced by lens uses refraction, such as 6… . And a spectrum of colors from a beam of light can be produced with 7… . Harriot travelled to Virginia and mainly did research which focused on two subjects of American 8… . After, he also enters upon a study of flight dynamics and 9… for one of his friends much ahead of major European competitors. He undertook extensive other studies which were only noted down personally yet predated than many other great scientists. One result, for example, corrected the misconception about the idea of 10… .
Questions 11-14
Look at the following researchers (listed A-D) and findings.
Match each scientist with the correct discovery.
Write your answers in boxes 11-14 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any researcher more than once.
A Willobrord Snell
B Johannes Kepler
C Ptolemy
D Galileo
E Harriot
11 discovered the moons of Jupiter
12 distracted experimental calculation on refraction
13 the discovery of sunspots
14 the person whose name the sin law was attributed to
Answers:
- x (Đoạn B, nói về các nhà nghiên cứu về các lĩnh vực)
- v (Đoạn C, khám phá vùng đất mới)
- ix (Đoạn D, mối liên hệ với Kepler)
- iii (Đoạn E, những lý do không rõ về việc không công bố các nghiên cứu của mình)
- vii (Đoạn F, những cống hiến của Harriot được nhận ra về sau)
- Magnification (Đoạn B, “He made sketches of the moon in 1609, and then developed lenses of increasing magnification.”)
- Prisms (Đoạn E, “Around 1606, he had studied dispersion in prisms.”)
- Landscape and language (Đoạn C)
- Ship design (Đoạn C, “He also undertook a study of ballistics and ship design for Raleigh in advance of the Spanish Armada’s arrival.”)
- Rainbow refraction (Đoạn E, “measured the refractive indices of different liquids placed in a hollow glass prism, studied refraction in crystal spheres, and correctly understood refraction in the rainbow before Descartes.”)
- D (Đoạn B, “Between October 17, 1610 and February 26, 1612, he observed the moons of Jupiter, which had already been discovered by Galileo.”)
- B (Đoạn D, “Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) had also looked for the law of refraction, but used the early data of Ptolemy.”)
- E (Đoạn G, “After the discovery of sunspots, Harriot’ s scientific work dwindled.”)
