Journey into Optics

Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behaviour and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it.

Optics usually describes the behaviour of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light.

The most common model used in practical optics is geometric optics, which treats light as a collection of rays that travel in straight lines and bend when they pass through or reflect from surfaces.

<p>Physical optics is a more comprehensive model of light that includes wave effects such as diffraction and interference that cannot be accounted for in geometric optics.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Complete electromagnetic descriptions of light are often difficult to apply in practice because they can be complex and challenging to work with. Simplified models are commonly used in practical optics.</p> Signup and view all the answers