Light And Optics PDF
Preview Light And Optics
L O IGHT and PTICS L O I G HT and PTI CS Kyle Kirkland, Ph.D. LIGHT AND OPTICS Copyright © 2007 by Kyle Kirkland, Ph.D. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information contact: Facts On File, Inc. An imprint of Infobase Publishing 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001 ISBN-10: 0-8160-6114-9 ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-6114-3 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Kirkland, Kyle. Light and optics / Kyle Kirkland. p. cm.—(Physics in our world) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8160-6114-9 (acid-free paper) 1. Light—Study and teaching (Secondary) 2. Electromagnetic waves—Study and Teaching (Secondary) 3. Optics—Study and Teaching (Secondary) I. Title. QC363.K576 2007 535—dc22 2 006018309 Facts On File books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quan- tities for businesses, associations, institutions, or sales promotions. Please call our Special Sales Department in New York at (212) 967-8800 or (800) 322-8755. You can find Facts On File on the World Wide Web at http://www.factsonfile.com Text design by Kerry Casey Cover design by Dorothy M. Preston Illustrations by Richard Garratt Printed in the United States of America MP FOF 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is printed on acid-free paper. This book is dedicated to Sara. The light in me salutes the much brighter light in you. Namaste. (cid:2) C ONTENTS (cid:2) (cid:2) Preface xi Acknowledgments xiii Introduction xv 1 LIGHT: ILLUMINATING THE UNIVERSE 1 Light and the Electromagnetic Spectrum 2 Frequency and Wavelength 4 Waves and Particles 6 Solar Radiation 10 Light from the Stars 12 Absorption and Emission Spectrum 15 Redshift and the Expanding Universe 17 The Doppler Effect 18 2 OPTICS: IMAGING THE UNIVERSE 21 Lenses and Mirrors 22 Laws of Reflection and Refraction 26 Human Vision 31 Seeing 3-D: Stereoscopic Vision 33 Correcting Faulty Vision 36 Mirages and Illusions 39 Microscopes and Telescopes 42 Cameras and Photography 47 3 COLORS 51 Color Vision 51 Wavelength and Color 54 Rainbows 56 Blue Skies, Red Sunsets 57 Oil Slicks and Soap Bubbles 59 Color Printing 60 4 LASERS 63 Measuring the Distance to the Moon 64 Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation 66 The Lasers in CDs and DVDs 70 Fiber Optics 71 Holography 75 Star Wars: The Strategic Defense Initiative 77 Traveling by Laser 81 5 LIGHT’S SERVICE TO LIFE AND MEDICINE 84 Glowing in the Dark 85 Luciferase—An Illuminating Enzyme 86 Turning Light into Food 88 Biological Clocks and Light 89 Finding Prey in the Dark 91 Laser Surgery 92 Seeing through Skin 93 Future Medical Uses of Light 95 6 ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION AND THE UNIVERSE 97 Radio Waves 98 Radio Astronomy—Viewing the Universe with Radio 99 Microwaves 103 Infrared and Ultraviolet 106 X-rays and Gamma Rays 109 7 COMMUNICATING WITH ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION 113 Antennas and Broadcasting 114 Maxwell’s Equations 115 Radio and Television 118 Cell Phones 122 8 EXPANDING THE VISUAL HORIZON 126 Searching with Light 127 Finding Objects and Catching Speeders with Radar 131 Transverse Waves and Polarization 133 Seeing through Walls with Terahertz 138 9 ENERGY FROM THE SUN 140 Capturing the Energy of the Sun 141 Solar-Energy-Powered Spacecraft and Probes 143 CONCLUSION 146 SI Units and Conversions 149 Glossary 152 Further Reading and Web Sites 157 Index 161
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