David Brewster
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David Brewster was a Scottish astronomer and mathematician who lived from 1781 to 1868 and made important contributions to the study of light and optics during the scientific revolution of the 19th century. His work helped advance our understanding of how light behaves and interacts with matter, which became foundational to modern physics and optical science.
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Person · Open Library
- Born
- 1939
- Died
- 1868-02-10
- Works
- 25
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- 64
- Total plays
- 461
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Article
Sir David Brewster (11 December 1781 – 10 February 1868) was a Scottish scientist, inventor, author, and academic administrator. In science he is principally remembered for his experimental work in physical optics, mostly concerned with the study of the polarization of light and including the discovery of Brewster's angle. He studied the birefringence of crystals under compression and discovered photoelasticity, thereby creating the field of optical mineralogy. For this work, William Whewell dubbed him the "father of modern experimental optics" and "the Johannes Kepler of optics."
Brewster was a pioneer in photography. He invented an improved stereoscope, which he called "lenticular stereoscope" and which became the first portable 3D-viewing device. He also invented the stereoscopic camera, two types of polarimeters, the polyzonal lens, the lighthouse illuminator, and the kaleidoscope.
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1781 births1868 deaths19th-century British engineers19th-century British physicists19th-century ministers of the Church of Scotland19th-century Scottish antiquarians19th-century Scottish mathematicians19th-century Scottish philosophers19th-century Scottish Presbyterian ministers19th-century Scottish writersAcademics of the University of St Andrews