Optics Made Clear: The Nature of Light And How We Use It (SPIE Press Monograph Vol. PM163)

Optics Made Clear: The Nature of Light And How We Use It (SPIE Press Monograph Vol. PM163) Review

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Have you wondered why the sky is blue? Why the sunset is red? How hummingbirds show us their many colors? Why the road ahead sometimes seems to have water on it, when it does not? Have you wondered how telescopes work to give a magnified image of distant objects? How do microscopes provide a magnified image of close objects? How do spectroscopes, eye glasses, cameras, binoculars, and similar instruments work? How do the simple rear view mirrors in cars dim and provide wide fields of view? In this book, William L. Wolfe attempts to describe many of the natural phenomena caused by light, and the optical devices that use it in terms everyone can understand.

This book is divided into five major sections. The first is a description of the basic phenomena of optics; the second includes basic optical components and instruments; the third is all about natural optical phenomena; and the fourth part is a collection of applications. The fifth contains descriptions of the above-mentioned great steps in our understanding of the world around us that are directly related to optics.

Contents

- Introduction

- The Basics

- Components and Instruments

- Natural Optical Phenomena

- Applications

- Critical Steps in Physics Involving Light

- Glossary

- Appendix A: Sizes of Things

- Appendix B: Information Sources

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Seeing the Light: Optics in Nature, Photography, Color, Vision, and Holography

Seeing the Light: Optics in Nature, Photography, Color, Vision, and Holography Review

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The most complete and lucid nonmathematical study of light available. Chapters are self-contained, making the book flexible and easy to read. Coverage includes such non-traditional topics as processes of vision and the eye, atmospherical optical phenomena, color perception and illusions, color in nature and in art, Kirilian photography, and holography. Includes experiments that can be carried out with simple equipment. Chapters contain optional advanced sections, and appendixes review the mathematics for quantitative aspects. Illustrated, including a four-color insert.

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The Optics of Life: A Biologist's Guide to Light in Nature

The Optics of Life: A Biologist's Guide to Light in Nature Review

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Optics--a field of physics focusing on the study of light--is also central to many areas of biology, including vision, ecology, botany, animal behavior, neurobiology, and molecular biology. The Optics of Life introduces the fundamentals of optics to biologists and nonphysicists, giving them the tools they need to successfully incorporate optical measurements and principles into their research. Snke Johnsen starts with the basics, describing the properties of light and the units and geometry of measurement. He then explores how light is created and propagates and how it interacts with matter, covering topics such as absorption, scattering, fluorescence, and polarization. Johnsen also provides a tutorial on how to measure light as well as an informative discussion of quantum mechanics.

The Optics of Life features a host of examples drawn from nature and everyday life, and several appendixes that offer further practical guidance for researchers. This concise book uses a minimum of equations and jargon, explaining the basic physics of light in a succinct and lively manner. It is the essential primer for working biologists and for anyone seeking an accessible introduction to optics.

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