Ray Optics
Rays, Reflection, Refraction, TIR, Dispersion
When light travels from one medium into another, direction of motion changes if the index of refraction of the two materials differ. Snell's Law defines how the change of direction relates to the index of refraction of the two materials.
Formation of Images, Ray Tracing
Light rays travel in straight lines until they bounces off or shines through some material. By creating diagrams that trace the rays we are able to see where images are formed, like viewing the image of yourself in the mirror.
Thin Lenses
Thin lenses and spherical mirrors are very useful optical elements. They can be used to form images of objects for a variety of applications. An example would be a telescope where the goal is to magnify the image of an object located very far from the optical device. The thin lens equation allows for a mathematical solution to the features of the resulting image for a system of optical elements.
