https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/oct/25/scientists-rediscover-ancient-roman-colour-changing-glass
I would love to know how somebody came up with this originally. It would be expensive trial and error for your Roman glass maker
Quote from: Jim Webster on Oct 25, 2026, 03:25 PMI would love to know how somebody came up with this originally. It would be expensive trial and error for your Roman glass maker
You should have attended my lessons on emission and absorption spectroscopy, ;D 8) This is not that freakish, the colour is different because you are either seeing the wavelengths that pass through OR the colours that bounce off which need must be different and what artists call complementary colours. So the result is obtained because the glass is translucent rather than properly opaque.
Quote from: Ian61 on Oct 25, 2026, 03:36 PMQuote from: Jim Webster on Oct 25, 2026, 03:25 PMI would love to know how somebody came up with this originally. It would be expensive trial and error for your Roman glass maker
You should have attended my lessons on emission and absorption spectroscopy, ;D 8) This is not that freakish, the colour is different because you are either seeing the wavelengths that pass through OR the colours that bounce off which need must be different and what artists call complementary colours. So the result is obtained because the glass is translucent rather than properly opaque.
I confess to be a little vague as to the Roman writings on emission and absorption spectroscopy :-[
Quote from: Jim Webster on Oct 25, 2026, 03:25 PMI would love to know how somebody came up with this originally. It would be expensive trial and error for your Roman glass maker
By accident and serendipity and then followed by refinement when they realised they could make a few sesterces from it.
Many many examples of this through time
Pasteur and his petri dish
Heating a pan of corn and letting the water run out
Desperately needing to avoid rolling ones in a wargame