PHYS 251 Chapter Notes - Chapter 17.1: Physical Optics, Diffraction, Wind Wave
Document Summary
Models of light: models that explain the behavior of light in different physical situations (1) the wave model: most applicable model of light, under many circumstances, light has the same behavior as sound or water waves (wave optics) Examples: lasers and electro-optical devices (2) the ray model: light travels in a straight line (light ray), ray optics. Examples: prisms, mirrors, and lenses (3) the photon model: light consists of photons that have both wave like and photon like properties (quantum physics) *waves and rays are mutually exclusive, need to know when each is appropriate. You can tell when something is a wave if it passes through something and then spreads out. The spreading is only noticeable when the opening of the object is narrow comparable in size to the wavelength. When the opening of the object is wider than the wavelength, the wave just moves straight forward (the wavelength of light is extremely short so diffraction is rare)
