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Chapter 24

Geometric Optics

Book Version 3
By Boundless
Boundless Physics
Physics
by Boundless
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Section 1
Overview
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The Ray Aspect of Light

Rays, or beams of light, can travel in three ways: directly from a source, through a material, or indirectly by reflection.

Section 2
Reflection, Refraction, and Dispersion
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The Law of Reflection and Its Consequences

The law of reflection states that the angle of reflection equals the angle of incidence.

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The Law of Refraction: Snell's Law and the Index of Refraction

The amount that a light ray changes its direction depends both on the incident angle and the amount that the speed changes.

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Total Internal Reflection and Fiber Optics

Total internal reflection happens when a propagating wave strikes a medium boundary at an angle larger than a particular critical angle.

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Total Polarization

Brewster's angle is an angle of incidence at which light with a particular polarization is perfectly transmitted through a surface.

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Dispersion: Rainbows and Prisims

Dispersion is defined as the spreading of white light into its full spectrum of wavelengths.

Section 3
Lenses
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Thin Lenses and Ray Tracing

Ray tracing is the technique of determining the paths light rays take; often thin lenses (the light ray bending only once) are assumed.

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The Thin Lens Equation and Magnification

The thin lens equation relates the object distance do, image distance di, and focal length f.

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Combinations of Lenses

A compound lens is an array of simple lenses with a common axis.

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The Lensmaker's Equation

The lensmaker's formula is used to relate the radii of curvature, the thickness, the refractive index, and the focal length of a thick lens.

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Refraction Through Lenses

Because the index of refraction of a lens is greater than air, a ray moves towards the perpendicular as it enters and away as it leaves.

Section 4
Mirrors
Image Reflection by a Plane Mirror

A mirror is a reflective surface that bounces off light, thus producing a real or virtual image.

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Image Formation by Spherical Mirrors: Reflection and Sign Conventions

A mirror is a reflective surface that light does not pass through, made by a layer of silver nitrate or aluminium behind piece of glass.

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Boundless Physics by Boundless
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Electromagnetic Waves
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Chapter 24
Geometric Optics
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  • Reflection, Refraction, and Dispersion
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