Physics@Brock

Physics Department

PHYS 1P23/93

Solids+Fluids

Heat+Thermodynamics

Waves+Sound

Light+Optics

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Home > Courses > 1P23_Sternin > LightOptics

Solids and fluids
Heat and Thermodynamics
Waves and Sound
Light and Optics
- Light is an e.m. wave
  - oscillating transverse em fields
  - Ex: measurement of the speed of light by Fizeau, Michelson ^{[1,
    2]}
  - radiation pressure: a comet's tail
  - mathematics of waves
  - wave fronts and rays
  - EM spectrum
- Polarization is a wave property
  - polarization of waves on a string
  - intensity of unpolarized and polarized light
  - Malus' law: crossing two polarizers
  - applications of crossed polarizers in optics
    - Ex: polarizing sunglasses at a lakeside
    - Ex: LCD
    - Ex: strain detection in polymers
- Interference and diffraction are wave phenomena
  - constructive and destructive interference
  - Young's double-slit experiment
    - bright and dark fringes: path difference;
  - Newton's rings: setup, fringe pattern, detecting defects
  - diffraction depends on wavelength/dimension ratio
  - X-ray diffraction from crystals
  - holography
- Ray optics
  - R.Feynman explaining the nature of photons in a lecture for a general audience
  - Huygen's principle
  - law of reflection
  - refraction of light
    - speed of light in a medium; optical index (density)
    - marching band analogy
    - refraction illustrated using the Huygen's principle
    - derivation of Snell's law
    - Ex: apparent depth
    - Ex: looking out of water
    - total internal reflection
    - Ex: prism binoculars
    - Ex: critical angle
    - polarization by reflection, Brewster's angle
    - dispersion: n depends on wavelength
    - Ex: rainbow dispersion - by many droplets;
    - further reading: a brief interactive summary of refraction
  - spherical mirrors
    - concave and convex mirrors
    - image formation and ray tracing;
    - real & virtual images
    - magnification and mirror equation
  - thin lenses
    - converging and diverging lenses
    - image formation and ray tracing;
    - real & virtual images
    - a virtual object: lenses in combination
    - Ex: macro lens on a camera
    - Ex: a magnifying glass
    - lens-making; optical power in diopters
    - Ex: a human eye; near-sightedness and far-sightedness