– Generalities on the properties and the propagation of light. Reflection and refraction of light. Basic laws of geometrical optics. Fermat’s principle.
– Image formation by optical systems. Stigmatism and paraxial approximation.
– Study of the basic components of optical systems (thin lenses and spherical mirrors).
– Application: study of some optical instruments (microscopes, telescopes, camera lenses, …). Construction, working principle, and some figures of merit (linear and angular magnification, optical power).
The geometrical optics course is based on a triple approach: calculations, geometrical constructions and experiments (through simple observation experiments realized during the tutorial sessions and more complex experiments during the lab sessions.)
