Descartes maintained his confidence in the instantaneity of light. ... Yet in his derivation of the law of refraction, Descartes reasoned that light travelled faster in a dense medium than in one less dense. He seems to have had no qualms about comparing infinite magnitudes! (Carl B. Boyer)

Descartes maintained his confidence in the instantaneity of light. ... Yet in his derivation of the law of refraction, Descartes reasoned that light travelled faster in a dense medium than in one less dense. He seems to have had no qualms about comparing infinite magnitudes!

Carl B. Boyer

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confidence derivation law less light refraction travel yet Descartes

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