6-25-1712

Brook Taylor's experiment challenged Newton's beliefs. Taylor suggested that if two glass plates which are clamped together into a "V" are placed into a pan of water, then capillary action will draw water up into the shape of a rectangular hyperbola with asymptotes given by the surface of the water and the point of the "V." This experiment and several similar experiments performed by Francis Hauksbee before the Royal Society caused Newton to rethink his ideas on capillary force.

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Isaac Newton
Brook Taylor
Capillary Action