Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Observation


OBSERVATION
Isaac Newton. looked at light,
Didn't say 'Well, well, that's bright!'
He observed that light was colour!
(We have brains a great deal duller!)
Other people, off the mark,
Saw just boring Light and Dark!
He took a prism (illustration)
And sought to give a demonstration.
Rays, through the window, from the sun,
Showed light-splitting could be done.
Sure enough, on the opposite wall,
He saw the rainbow colours fall.
'But', said observers 'It's the prism
Doing it all!' Such criticism
Spurred him on more than a bit!
He made a screen with a tiny slit.
This, as the clever man suspected,
Caused only green to be reflected!
Then he reflected only blue,
Followed by every other hue.
He'd proved his point and that is why
When we look at a rainbow in the sky
We realise light's refracted! Right!
Raindrops are prisms splitting light!
Without that amazing Newton brain,
We'd never have thought of suspecting rain!


More reactions to Colour Prompts here:
http://rinklyrimes.blogspot.com/2009/02/307a-singing-blues.html
http://rinklyrimes.blogspot.com/2009/02/315-brown-beauty.html

9 comments:

chrome3d said...

We are lucky to stand on the shoulders of giants. Newton is a character I like to read about sometimes.

Kat said...

Science in poem...!!!
Loved it.

My Grandpa loved Newton
(that's the reason he named me after him :)))

Brother Ollie said...

Ah a keen observer!

Sherry Blue Sky said...

Very cool observation. I love that raindrops are prisms.

Stewart said...

A charming little ditty.

signed...bkm said...

love Issac Newton - an amazing brain that opened up a whole to world to us and universe too...bkm

Susannah said...

I love the way you can write such good poems and educate at the same time. I really enjoyed your poem. :-)

Ella said...

I love the lesson, the imagery, the wit. Fun to read~

Eileen T O'Neill ..... said...

Brenda,
A very colourful scientific observation, delivered in a very witty way!

Eileen