On the formation and propagation of pulses in ether
Abstract
In 1746 Euler publishes E88 -- Nova theoria lucis et colorum (A new theory of light and colors) in five chapters. This is an annotated translation of Chapter II - De formatione ac propagatione pulsuum (On the formation and propagation of pulses in ether), in which Euler considers that the propagation of light in ether is similar to the propagation of sound in air. Based on the elastic properties of the air, he then tries to find the elastic properties of the ether, but, obviously, with no avail. Nonetheless, he correctly distinguished the local motion of the fluid particles from the motion of the pulse itself, and even attempted to estimate the speed of light.
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