Abstract
WATER holding in suspension fine particles of mastic scatters a blue light. Place behind the containing vessel a yellow surface, (1) If this is bright, its light, transmitted through the vessel, prevails, and we see the yellow. (2) Subdue the illumination of the yellow surface sufficiently, and the water appears white, the yellow and the blue just compensating each other. (3) Subdue the yellow still more, and the scattered blue again becomes evident. If in case (2) we use a Nicol, then, for minimum transmission, the white changes to yellow; but, for maximum transmission, to blue, because the scattered blue light is largely polarised.
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WHITMELL, C. The Whiteness of the Daylight Moon. Nature 103, 145 (1919). https://doi.org/10.1038/103145b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/103145b0
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