Optical Physics Flashcards, test questions and answers

Discover flashcards, test exam answers, and assignments to help you learn more about Optical Physics and other subjects. Don’t miss the chance to use them for more effective college education. Use our database of questions and answers on Optical Physics and get quick solutions for your test.

What is Optical Physics?

Optical Physics is a branch of physics that deals with the study of light and its interaction with matter. It covers topics such as reflection, refraction, diffraction, polarization, interference, absorption and emission of light. Optical Physics also studies how light interacts with other forms of energy including electricity and magnetism. This field has many applications in engineering, medicine and communications. One key concept studied in Optical Physics is wave theory which states that electromagnetic radiation consists of waves composed of electric and magnetic fields oscillating at right angles to each other at a certain frequency. The frequency determines the wavelength or color of the wave which can range from visible light to microwaves and radio waves. Wave properties such as amplitude (brightness), phase (timing) and intensity are important concepts studied by optical physicists. The propagation of light through transparent media is another fundamental aspect explored in this field. Reflection occurs when incident rays strike a smooth surface causing them to bounce away from it while refraction occurs when they enter a denser medium like glass bending away from its normal path due to different indices of refraction between air and glass . Diffraction on the other hand happens when waves encounter an obstacle or pass through narrow openings resulting in spreading outwards into directions determined by the size or shape of the object blocking their way.. Polarization occurs when part or all components vibrate along one direction only instead across multiple directions as seen in unpolarized light resulting in brighter colors being transmitted depending on whether they are s-polarized (vertically oriented)or p-polarized(horizontally oriented). Interference describes how two waves interact either constructively or destructively forming patterns based on their amplitudes , phases , frequencies etc while absorption involves taking up some amount energy released by atoms during transitions between their energies levels leading to dark regions observed under microscopes for example due to photons not reaching our eyes after being absorbed by specimen molecules . Emission refers to release energy usually as packets called photons produced for instance during fluorescence events where electrons jump down lower energy level emitting radiations towards us allowing us view objects otherwise invisible . In conclusion , Optical Physics encompasses wide array topics dealing with various interactions between light matter enabling understanding complex behaviours occurring within nature providing insight into world around us .