This book is intended for a one semester course in optics for juniors and seniors in science and engineering; it uses Mathcad(R) scripts to provide a simulated laboratory where students can learn by exploration and discovery instead of passive absorption. The text covers all the standard topics of a traditional optics course, including: geometrical optics and aberration, interference and diffraction, coherence, Maxwell's equations, wave guides and propagating modes, blackbody radiation, atomic emission and lasers, optical properties of materials, Fourier transforms and FT spectroscopy, image formation, and holography. It contains step by step derivations of all basic formulas in geometrical, wave and Fourier optics. The basic text is supplemented by over 170 Mathcad files, each suggesting programs to solve a particular problem, and each linked to a topic in or application of optics. The computer files are dynamic, allowing the reader to see instantly the effects of changing parameters in the equations. Students are thus encouraged to ask "what...if" questions to asses the physical implications of the formulas. The book is written for the study of particular projects but can easily be adapted to a variation of related studies. The three-fold arrangement of text, applications, and files makes the book suitable for "self-learning" by by scientists or engineers who would like to refresh their knowledge of optics. All files are printed out and are available on a CD and may well serve as starting points to find solutions to more complex problems as experienced by engineers in their applications. The Mathcad(r) scripts on the CD are provided in both Mathcad(r) 7 and Mathcad(r) 2000, and as PDF files. This book was written over several years for a one-semester course in optics ® 1 for juniors and seniors in science and engineering; it uses Mathcad scripts to provide a simulated laboratory where students can learn by exploration and discovery instead of passive absorption. The text covers all the standard topics of a traditional optics course, incl- ing geometrical optics and aberration, interference and diffraction, coherence, Maxwell's equations, wave guides and propagating modes, blackbody radiation, atomic emission and lasers, optical properties of materials. Fourier transforms and FT spectroscopy, image formation, and holography. It contains step-by-step derivations of all basic formulas in geometrical, wave, and Fourier optics. The basic text is supplemented by over 170 Mathcad?les, each suggesting programstosolveaparticularproblem,andeachlinkedtoatopicinorapplication ofoptics.Thecomputer?lesaredynamic,allowingthereadertoseeinstantlythe effects of changing parameters in the equations. Students are thus encouraged to ask “what if...” questions to assess the physical implications of the formulas. To integrate the?les into the text, applications connecting the formulas and the corresponding computer?le are listed and may be assigned for homework. The availability of the numerical Fourier transform makes possible a mathematical introduction to the wave theory of imaging, spatial?ltering, holography, and Fourier transform spectroscopy. Thebookiswrittenforthestudyofparticularprojectsbutcaneasilybeadapted to a variety of related studies. The threefold arrangements of text, applications, and?lesmakethebooksuitableof“self-learning”byscientistsorengineerswho would like to refresh their knowledge of optics. Some?les are printed out, and 1Mathcad is a registered trademark of MathSoft Engineering & Education, Inc. If you are a student of optics, this rather expensive text is not really going to help you that much considering the price. The best combination is Optics (4th Edition) for comprehension and Schaum's Outline of Optics for basic practice of what is covered in the textbook. Both books are written by the same author, and the first book might have been better if the author had incorporated more examples from his Schaum's outline into it. This book really glosses over explanations. The best part of the book are the programs that demonstrate various optics principles. These are included on the accompanying CD and are named at the different places in the book. Thus be careful if you buy a used copy, because without the CD you really don't have much. Students might want to look at the first edition, because besides branching out into other languages besides Mathcad, there really isn't that much difference between the two editions except price. For the instructor of college-level optics, I think this book is really useful. You can incorporate some of the programs into demonstrations and illustrate some difficult principles. For that purpose I highly recommend it. This book is intended for a one-semester course in optics for juniors and seniors in science and engineering; it uses Mathcad(R) scripts to provide a simulated laboratory where students can learn by exploration and discovery instead of passive absorption. The text covers all the standard topics of a traditional optics course, including: geometrical optics and aberration, interference and diffraction, coherence, Maxwells equations, wave guides and propagating modes, blackbody radiation, atomic emission and lasers, optical properties of materials, Fourier transforms and FT spectroscopy, image formation, and holography. It contains step by step derivations of all basic formulas in geometrical, wave and Fourier optics. The basic text is supplemented by over 170 Mathcad files, each suggesting programs to solve a particular problem, and each linked to a topic in or application of optics. The computer files are dynamic, allowing the reader to see instantly the effects of changing parameters in the equations. Students are thus encouraged to ask "what...if" questions to assess the physical implications of the formulas.
