Keywords
Citation
Baker, L. (2005), "Practical optics", Sensor Review, Vol. 25 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/sr.2005.08725dae.001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2005, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Practical optics
Naftaly MennElsevier Academic PressUSD 69.95, GBP 39.99, EUR 57.9520040-12-490951-5http://books.elsevier.com/bookscat/links/details.asp?isbn=0124909515 Keywords: Optics, Books
Lens aberration, the author suggests, has an effect similar to drawing a detailed picture with a blunt pencil that only produces thick lines. It has been said that good teaching demands a dialogue between the imagination and experience. In this book the former is fed by explanation of the physical laws involved in the generation, propagation and measurement of optical radiation and the latter by setting and solving a wide variety of real problems found in optical engineering. Four decades of experience in teaching and R&D in electro-optics has exposed Dr Menn to a wealth of problems existing in high-tech industries and the also to the difficulties likely to be encountered by students entering the field.
The unique feature of this book is the number of problems set and the detail provided in explaining their solution. The solutions to 151 alone occupy over one third of the total number of pages. Ten chapters cover sources of radiation, illumination systems, geometrical optics, scanners, detection, spectral and colour measurements, and also instruments for the measurement of distance, temperature and flow. Topics not covered or only touched on, for example, include thin films, scatter, interferometry, coherence, polarization and vision.
The desire to include such a wide field in a small book may lead to many questions, not all of which can be readily answered by the small number of references provided. In the next edition, as well as including more references, the author may decide to provide a list of symbols and even reconsider the choice of title. The book concentrates more on "Optical Problems" rather than "Practical Optics". The chosen title would suggest the inclusion of experimental work, regarded by many as sadly neglected in the present computer dominated age, rather than the solution of theoretical problems.
The author is nevertheless to be congratulated on successfully distilling the essence of so many subjects and in the creation of such a wide variety of problems illustrating the way in which optical theory can be used in realistic applications. Any student able to solve a good proportion of these problems will be well equipped to enter industry.
Lionel Baker