Study Guide, Test 1

Test 1 will be completed in-class, without reference material.  It will be a 1-hour test.

Without reference materials, students should be able to:

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Solve simple problems involving the properties of electromagnetic waves as presented in module 1.

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Explain Fermat's principle.

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Use the law of reflection and refraction.

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Work problems involving polarization by reflection and total internal reflection.

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Work elementary problems involving mirrors and thin lenses.

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Find the system matrix of an optical system given the matrices for translation, refraction, refraction by a thin lens, and reflection.

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For optical systems explain the concepts of conjugate planes, principal planes, and effective focal lengths.

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Qualitatively describe the different types of geometrical aberrations and chromatic aberrations.

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State the definitions of aperture stop, entrance pupil, exit pupil,and field stop and why they are important.

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Sketch the optical components of a simple telescopes (with and without erecting lenses), beam expanders, and compound microscopes based on thin lenses.  The positions of the optical components along the optical axis should be correctly determined in terms of the focal length of the lenses.

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Elaborate on some of the characteristics of thermal sources.

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Explain qualitatively how a photodiode or a photomultiplier tube work.

Review the homework and in-class assignments and take the practice test.

Practice Test 1

Practice Test 1, solutions