Difference between revisions of "Optics"
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| − | Optics is a field of [[science]] that deals with the behavior of light, sight, and radiation. It is a branch of [[physics]] and can also describe reflections and refractions. | + | == Overview == |
| + | Optics is a field of [[science]] that deals with the behavior of light, sight, and radiation. It is a branch of [[physics]] and can also describe reflections and refractions. Etymologically, optics is the study of vision. Light waves are electromagnetic waves - they consist of mutually perpendicular electric fields and magnetic fields, and can travel through a vacuum. Optics is the study of electromagnetic waves in general. So, it covers all waves in the electromagnetic spectrum given below: | ||
| + | |||
| + | *[[Gamma rays]] | ||
| + | *[[X-Rays]] | ||
| + | *[[Ultraviolet rays]] | ||
| + | *[[Visible light]] | ||
| + | *[[Infrared Rays]] | ||
| + | *[[Microwaves]] | ||
| + | *[[Radio waves]] | ||
| + | One of the most controversial questions in optics is whether light is a wave or a ray. Accordingly, there are two branches of optics, but only ray optics belongs to classical physics. Wave optics are a topic of modern physics. In ray, optics covers topics such as reflection and refraction and the dispersion of white light into its constituent colors. | ||
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| + | In school events such as Science Olympiad, "Optics" is an event dealing with mirrors and lenses. Sometimes it will deal with other subjects like eyes. | ||
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Latest revision as of 20:28, 6 July 2024
Overview
Optics is a field of science that deals with the behavior of light, sight, and radiation. It is a branch of physics and can also describe reflections and refractions. Etymologically, optics is the study of vision. Light waves are electromagnetic waves - they consist of mutually perpendicular electric fields and magnetic fields, and can travel through a vacuum. Optics is the study of electromagnetic waves in general. So, it covers all waves in the electromagnetic spectrum given below:
One of the most controversial questions in optics is whether light is a wave or a ray. Accordingly, there are two branches of optics, but only ray optics belongs to classical physics. Wave optics are a topic of modern physics. In ray, optics covers topics such as reflection and refraction and the dispersion of white light into its constituent colors.
In school events such as Science Olympiad, "Optics" is an event dealing with mirrors and lenses. Sometimes it will deal with other subjects like eyes. This article is a stub. Help us out by expanding it.
