The correct theory regarding light is Maxwell's theory, also known as classical electromagnetism. Maxwell's theory provides a more comprehensive and accurate description of light and its behavior compared to Newton's theory.
Isaac Newton proposed the corpuscular theory of light, which treated light as a stream of particles (corpuscles) traveling in straight lines. According to this theory, light's behavior could be explained solely in terms of the motion and interactions of these particles.
However, James Clerk Maxwell's theory of electromagnetism, formulated in the 19th century, demonstrated that light is an electromagnetic wave. Maxwell's theory unified electricity, magnetism, and optics into a single framework. It showed that light is an oscillating electromagnetic field that propagates through space, and it predicted the existence of other forms of electromagnetic radiation beyond visible light, such as radio waves, microwaves, infrared, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays.
Maxwell's theory successfully explained a wide range of phenomena related to light and electromagnetism, including the wave-like behavior of light, the reflection, refraction, and diffraction of light, and the interaction between light and charged particles. It also provided a mathematical description of electromagnetic waves through a set of equations known as Maxwell's equations.
Moreover, Maxwell's theory made several successful predictions that were later confirmed experimentally, such as the existence of electromagnetic waves traveling at the speed of light, which led to the realization that light itself is an electromagnetic wave.
In contrast, Newton's corpuscular theory had limitations in explaining phenomena such as interference and diffraction, which are characteristic of wave behavior. While Newton made significant contributions to our understanding of light and optics, his corpuscular theory was eventually superseded by Maxwell's theory due to its broader explanatory power and ability to account for a wide range of phenomena related to light and electromagnetism.
In summary, Maxwell's theory of electromagnetism is considered the correct theory regarding light because it provides a more comprehensive and accurate description of light's behavior, successfully unifies electricity and magnetism, and has been extensively supported by experimental evidence.