Section History of Light & OpticsSection 1 will investigate theories about light and vision throughout history that led us to the way we think about it today. We will also look at how optical devices have changed over time based on our understanding of light.
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1.1 Early Thinkers
In early times, many people were curious about how light worked. They were unsure of how light worked and investigated it in many ways.
It is said that Archimedes attempted to build a weapon that harnesses the power of light and utilizes its properties. The Mythbusters said it couldn't be done! What is different between the Mythbusters method and that of the boy in the video "Solar Death Ray: Power of 5000 Suns!"? |
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1.2 Optical Devices
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Microscopes:
It was first believed that the microscope was developed in the year 1595 by a father and son team in the Netherlands. It wasn’t until the 17th century however, that a Dutch scientist by the name of Antonie van Leeuwenhoek revolutionized the field of microbiology with the use of his microscopes. |
Telescopes:
The invention of the telescope revolutionized the field of astronomy. The first telescope was invented in the 17th century in the Netherlands; however, the individual most commonly associated with the telescope was an Italian scientist called Galileo Galelei. He improved the refracting telescope in a way that transformed all previous ideas about space. |
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Reflecting Telescopes (created by Isaac Newton)
Light passes down the open tube and reflects off the main mirror. This mirror is concave such that the reflected light comes to a focus. Before the reflected light comes to a focus it is intercepted by a 'secondary' flat mirror suspended in the middle of the tube and sent at right angles out the side of the tube. The image is then magnified by an eyepiece. The Reflecting Telescope uses a combination of mirrors and lenses to enhance an image |
Section Task
Throughout this section you have learned a great deal about early thinkers and the optical devices created by them.
Your task is to research one of these early thinkers and develop a trading card on the history of their life and accomplishments. |
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