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33 The nature end propagation of light
Optics Optics is a branch of physics that describes the behavior and properties of light and the interaction of light with matter. Rainbow33.1 The nature of light
Streams of particles (corpuscules) Wave properties Photons or quanta Photon Quantum Propogation Emission, absorption Thermal radiation Emit Self-luminous Red hot incandescent lamp Fluorescent lamp phosphor ultraviolet radiation laser monochromatic single-frequency c ~ 3 X 108m/s speed of light in vacuum = 299792458 m/s A neutron star: ~ 1500000 m/s Our sun around the center of the Milky Way: ~ 250000 m/s The Earth revolves around the Sun: ~ 30000 m/s Mach 1 is the speed of sound; Mach 1: 343 m/s Impulses travel through the nerve network: ~ 100 m/s Car on highway: 65 mph (miles per hour), 28.9 m/s Top athletes: 10.2 m/s Walking speed: 1.4 m/s Blood pumping through the aorta: ~ 0.3 m/s Swimming speed of the sperm cell: ~ 10 µm/s, 0.00001 m/sWaves, Wave Fronts, and Rays
wave front wavefront is the locus (a line, or, in a wave propagating in 3 dimensions a surface) of points having the same phase. Locus Spherical wave plane wave Point source A ray is an idealized narrow beam of light Ray imaginary line Geometric optics Geometric optics, or ray optics, describes light propagation in terms of "rays". Physical optics models the propagation of complex wavefronts through optical systems, including both the amplitude and the phase of the wave.