Alexander Pope quoted this famous couplet in his work "Epitaph Intended for Sir Isaac Newton," written in 1730. The correct answer, 4, refers to Newton’s famous discovery that white light contains all colors of the spectrum, which he demonstrated through his experiments with prisms. Here's why:
Alexander Pope’s couplet refers to Newton's ability to explain the natural laws and bring clarity to the hidden mysteries of nature, symbolized by the metaphor of "light." Newton’s discovery in optics, specifically that white light is composed of all colors of the spectrum, was revolutionary. His work demonstrated that light, which was previously thought to be simple and homogeneous, is actually a mixture of different colors, which can be separated by a prism and recombined into white light.
Option 1: This is not correct because the poem isn't directly referencing any Biblical passage, like the Genesis story of God creating light.
Option 2: This is incorrect as it refers to Newton’s Principia, which focuses more on physics and mathematics rather than his discoveries in optics.
Option 3: Although Newton did apply principles of motion to explain natural phenomena, this isn’t the focus of Pope’s couplet.
Option 4: Correct – The reference to "all was Light" can be interpreted as Newton’s groundbreaking discovery in optics about the nature of light.
Thus, Pope's verse aligns most closely with Newton's discovery about light and colors.
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