Most of the optical principles that serve as the starting point in the design and
use of any optical instrument have been known for a long time. In intermediate-
level optics texts these principles are usually divided into two categories:
geometrical optics and physical optics. Elements from both of these fields are
required for full descriptions of the characteristics of optical systems.
The theory of geometrical optics is concerned with the paths taken by light
rays as they pass through a system of lenses and/or mirrors. Although the ray
paths can be calculated by simple application of the laws o
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