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Copy letter, from Sir John Herschel to Richard Potter, dated at Slough

Reference number: HS/25/3/6

Date: 22 April 1832

Description

Copy of letter, copied as part of the correspondence project led by Colonel John Herschel FRS following the death of his father. Responds to Richard Potter's concerns about the nature of light and the interpretation of some interference experiments. John Frederick William Herschel believes that the undulatory theory of light is the best supported by the experiments at this time.

Reference number
HS/25/3/6
Earliest possible date
22 April 1832
Page extent
3 pages
Format
Manuscript

Creator name

John Frederick William Herschel

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Citation

John Frederick William Herschel, Copy letter, from Sir John Herschel to Richard Potter, dated at Slough, 22 April 1832, HS/25/3/6, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/hs_25_3_6/copy-letter-from-sir-john-herschel-to-richard-potter-dated-at-slough, accessed on 15 January 2026

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  • Herschel Letters

    This collection of nearly 10,900 letters, drafts, copies and notes is the largest repository of scientific correspondence from and to Sir John Herschel, leading figure of Victorian science.

    Dates: 1807 - 1875

    View collection