Light And Optics

by Kirkland, Kyle, Ph.d.

• ISBN13: 9780816061143
• ISBN10: 0816061149
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-05-30
• Publisher: Facts on File

Summary

Light and Optics explores the science of electromagnetic radiation and its variety of applications. The book explores the relationship between the myriad properties of light and the devices and instruments that make use of it. Light and Optics contains information on: cell phones, color, fiber optics, laser surgery, laws of reflection and refraction, radar, solar energy, waves and particles. This volume contains more than 40 black-and-white photographs and line illustrations, a chart of Standard International Units with their equivalents, a glossary, a detailed list of print and Web resources, and an index. Physics in Our World is an essential set for students, teachers, and general readers who require information on the intriguing science of physics. Book jacket.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xiii
Introduction	p. xv
Light: Illuminating the Universe	p. 1
Light and the Electromagnetic Spectrum	p. 2
Frequency and Wavelength	p. 4
Waves and Particles	p. 6
Solar Radiation	p. 10
Light from the Stars	p. 12
Absorption and Emission Spectrum	p. 15
Redshift and the Expanding Universe	p. 17
The Doppler Effect	p. 18
Optics: Imaging the Universe	p. 21
Lenses and Mirrors	p. 22
Laws of Reflection and Refraction	p. 26
Human Vision	p. 31
Seeing 3-D: Stereoscopic Vision	p. 33
Correcting Faulty Vision	p. 36
Mirages and Illusions	p. 39
Microscopes and Telescopes	p. 42
Cameras and Photography	p. 47
Colors	p. 51
Color Vision	p. 51
Wavelength and Color	p. 54
Rainbows	p. 56
Blue Skies, Red Sunsets	p. 57
Oil Slicks and Soap Bubbles	p. 59
Color Printing	p. 60
Lasers	p. 63
Measuring the Distance to the Moon	p. 64
Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation	p. 66
The Lasers in CDs and DVDs	p. 70
Fiber Optics	p. 71
Holography	p. 75
Star Wars: The Strategic Defense Initiative	p. 77
Traveling by Laser	p. 81
Light's Service to Life and Medicine	p. 84
Glowing in the Dark	p. 85
Luciferase-An Illuminating Enzyme	p. 86
Turning Light into Food	p. 88
Biological Clocks and Light	p. 89
Finding Prey in the Dark	p. 91
Laser Surgery	p. 92
Seeing through Skin	p. 93
Future Medical Uses of Light	p. 95
Electromagnetic Radiation and the Universe	p. 97
Radio Waves	p. 98
Radio Astronomy-Viewing the Universe with Radio	p. 99
Microwaves	p. 103
Infrared and Ultraviolet	p. 106
X-rays and Gamma Rays	p. 109
Communicating with Electromagnetic Radiation	p. 113
Antennas and Broadcasting	p. 114
Maxwell's Equations	p. 115
Radio and Television	p. 118
Cell Phones	p. 122
Expanding the Visual Horizon	p. 126
Searching with Light	p. 127
Finding Objects and Catching Speeders with Radar	p. 131
Transverse Waves and Polarization	p. 133
Seeing through Walls with Terahertz	p. 138
Energy from the Sun	p. 140
Capturing the Energy of the Sun	p. 141
Solar-Energy-Powered Spacecraft and Probes	p. 143
Conclusion	p. 146
SI Units and Conversions	p. 149
Glossary	p. 152
Further Reading and Web Sites	p. 157
Index	p. 161
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

An understanding of the science of light has led to ways of correcting faulty vision, and improving vision to study objects that are too small or too distant to be seen by the unaided eye. The performance of instruments such as microscopes, telescopes, and the human eye depends on the principles of optics. But even with recent technological advances, some mysteries remain. The nature of light has puzzled scientists for centuries, and just when they think they have it figured out, light does something completely unpredictable.
Light and Optics explores the science of electromagnetic radiation and its tremendous variety of applications. This enlightening book includes discussions of the optics of image formation, the intense beams produced by lasers, the role of light in biological processes such as photosynthesis and medical procedures such as laser surgery, astronomical observations based on all types of radiation, and applications involving communication, radar, and the transformation of light into electricity.