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The Newtonian theory of light propagation: a pedagogical route to General Relativity .

The Newtonian theory of light propagation, an application of the Principia to a light corpuscule has been perfectly well developped from Newton to Arago and then totally forgotten. It is a pedagogical route to General Relativity which includes Galilean kinematics of optical bodies and a Newtonian dynamics of light. The Newtonian theory of light propagation includes the derivation of light deflection, of the concept of "dark bodies", and of the Einstein-Doppler effect. Finally this Newtonian theory offers a first approach to what we call the Doppler effect and to the idea of the Michelson experiment. Arago's 1806-1810 experiments on the velocity of light are also based on this Newtonian theory.

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