what is optics?

Answer 1

What is Optics?

Optics is the science dealing with the propogation and behavior of light through mediums.

Geometric optics is an area of optics that deals with manipulating light with lenses and mirrors. It covers reflection and refraction of light and how it relates to mirrors and lenses.

Holograms, telescopes, and glasses are all the result of optics.

Answer 2

Optics (appearance or look in ancient Greek) is a branch of physics that describes the behavior and properties of light and the interaction of light with matter. Optics explains and is illuminated by optical phenomena.

Answer 3

Optics is that branch of physics which deals with light,it's wave nature,how it travels from one medium to another and also with the making of lenses.

Answer 4

Optics is the study of light and how it can be bent, focused etc by lenses.

Optics are devices used in British pubs for measuring spirits.

Answer 5

optics generally deal with light and study of light

Answer 6

Narrowly, the science of light and vision; broadly, the study of the phenomena associated with the generation, transmission, and detection of electromagnetic radiation in the spectral range extending from the long-wave edge of the x-ray region to the short-wave edge of the radio region. This range, often called the optical region or the optical spectrum, extends in wavelength from about 1 nanometer to about 1 millimeter.

The discoveries of the experimentalists of the early 17th century formed the basis of the science of optics. The statement of the law of refraction, the development of the astronomical telescope, observations of diffraction, and the principles of the propagation of light all came in this relatively short period. The publication of Isaac Newton's Opticks in 1704, with its comprehensive and original studies of refraction, dispersion, interference, diffraction, and polarization, established the science.

In the early nineteenth century many productive investigators established the transverse-wave nature of light. The relationship between optical and magnetic phenomena led to the crowning achievement of classical optics—the electromagnetic theory of J. C. Maxwell. Maxwell's theory, which holds that light consists of electric and magnetic fields propagated together through space as transverse waves, provided a general basis for the treatment of optical phenomena. In particular, it served as the basis for understanding the interaction of light with matter and, hence, as the basis for treatment of the phenomena of physical optics. See also Electromagnetic radiation; Light; Maxwell's equations.

In the twentieth century optics has been in the forefront of the revolution in physical thinking caused by the theory of relativity and especially by the quantum theory.

The science of optics finds itself in a position that is satisfactory for practical purposes but less so from a theoretical standpoint. The theory of Maxwell is sufficiently valid for treating the interaction of high-intensity radiation with systems considerably larger than those of atomic dimensions. The modern quantum theory is adequate for an understanding of the spectra of atoms and molecules and for the interpretation of phenomena involving low-intensity radiation, provided one does not insist on a very detailed description of the process of emission or absorption of radiation. However, a general theory of relativistic quantum electrodynamics valid for all conditions and systems has not been worked out.

The development of the laser has been an outstanding event in the history of optics. The theory of electromagnetic radiation from its beginnings was able to comprehend and treat the properties of coherent radiation, but the controlled generation of coherent monochromatic radiation of high power was not achieved in the optical region until the work of C. H. Townes and A. L. Schawlow in 1958 pointed the way. Many achievements in optics, such as holography and interferometry over long paths, have resulted from the laser..

Answer 7

the branch of physics which deals with the all phenomenon of light and its measurements and all its characteristics is called optics.

Answer 8

These are optics: http://www.globalfse.co.uk/search_results.asp?p_desc=optic&sort_by=desc