Optics & Light Calculations: Refraction, Lenses, Mirrors & Photometry
Calculate light the way optics labs do: speed of light and refractive index, Snell's law with ASIN and the critical angle for total internal reflection, the thin lens equation with real and virtual images, dioptres and lens combinations (with the idea behind glasses), concave and convex mirrors, lumens, candela, lux and the inverse-square law, LED lighting design with the lumen method, and photon energy E = hc/λ with a chart – 8 labs at one fictional optics workshop, every cell checked instantly. Educational only, not eye-care or engineering advice.
The first lesson is free — no account needed.
About this course
An optics and light calculations course set in one fictional optics workshop, for physics students, lab technicians and lighting designers who want to see the formulas work in a spreadsheet. You turn refractive indices into the speed of light and identify an unknown sample, apply Snell's law with ASIN and find the critical angle for total internal reflection, solve the thin lens equation for image distance, magnification and real or virtual images from a camera to a projector, convert focal lengths into dioptres and combine lenses with the idea behind glasses, work through concave and convex mirrors, convert lumens into candela and lux with the inverse-square law, size LED office lighting with the lumen method and turn wavelengths into photon energy with E = hc/λ. Educational only, not eye-care or engineering advice. The first lab is free.
Lessons
- Speed of Light in Materials & the Refractive IndexFree
- Snell's Law, the Critical Angle & Total Internal Reflection Pro
- The Thin Lens Equation: Image Distance, Magnification, Real or Virtual Pro
- Optical Power in Dioptres: Lens Combinations & the Idea of an Eyeglass Prescription Pro
- Curved Mirrors: Concave & Convex, from Make-Up Mirrors to Car Mirrors Pro
- Photometry: Lumens, Candela, Lux & the Inverse-Square Law Pro
- LED Lighting Design: Lux × Area → Lumens → Number of Fixtures Pro
- Wavelength, Frequency & Photon Energy: E = hc/λ Across the Spectrum Pro