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Optics Benjamin Crowell Book 5 in the Light and Matter series of introductory physics textbooks www.lightandmatter.com Optics The Light and Matter series of introductory physics textbooks: 1 Newtonian Physics 2 Conservation Laws 3 Vibrations and Waves 4 Electricity and Magnetism 5 Optics 6 The Modern Revolution in Physics Optics Benjamin Crowell www.lightandmatter.com Light and Matter Fullerton, California www.lightandmatter.com © 1999-2003 by Benjamin Crowell All rights reserved. Edition 2.1 rev. 2003-03-28 ISBN 0-9704670-5-2 Brief Contents 1 The Ray Model of Light ................. 11 2 Images by Reflection, Part I ........ 27 3 Images by Reflection, Part II ....... 35 4 Refraction and Images ................. 47 5 Wave Optics .................................. 61 Contents 7 Contents 1 The Ray Model of Light 11 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5* The Nature of Light .............................. 12 Interaction of Light with Matter ............ 15 The Ray Model of Light ....................... 17 Geometry of Specular Reflection ......... 20 The Principle of Least Time for Reflection ........................... 22 Summary ...................................................... 23 Homework Problems .................................... 24 3 Images by Reflection, Part II 35 3.1 A Real Image Formed by an Inbending Mirror ............. 36 3.2 Other Cases With Curved Mirrors ....... 39 3.3* Aberrations ......................................... 43 Summary ...................................................... 45 Homework Problems .................................... 46 2 Images by Reflection, Part I 27 2.1 A Virtual Image .................................... 28 2.2 Curved Mirrors ..................................... 29 2.3 A Real Image ....................................... 30 2.4 Images of Images ................................ 31 Summary ...................................................... 33 Homework Problems .................................... 34 8 Contents 4 Refraction and Images 47 4.1 Refraction ............................................ 4.2 Lenses ................................................. 4.3* The Lensmaker’s Equation ................ 4.4* Refraction and the Principle of Least Time ......................... Summary ...................................................... Homework Problems .................................... 5 Wave Optics 48 54 56 56 57 58 Exercises 79 Solutions to Selected Problems 87 Glossary Index 89 91 61 5.1 Diffraction ............................................ 5.2 Scaling of Diffraction ............................ 5.3 The Correspondence Principle ............ 5.4 Huygens’ Principle ............................... 5.5 Double-Slit Diffraction .......................... 5.6 Repetition ............................................ 5.7 Single-Slit Diffraction ........................... 5.8∫* The Principle of Least Time ............... Summary ...................................................... Homework Problems .................................... 62 63 64 65 66 70 71 74 75 76 Contents 9 10 Contents 1 The Ray Model of Light Ads for the latest Macintosh computer brag that it can do an arithmetic calculation in less time than it takes for the light to get from the screen to your eye. We find this impressive because of the contrast between the speed of light and the speeds at which we interact with physical objects in our environment. Perhaps it shouldn’t surprise us, then, that Newton succe