Optics and Photonics: An Introduction (Manchester Physics S.) [Paperback]

F. Graham Smith (Author), Terry A. King (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471489255 | ISBN-13: 978-0471489252 | Publication Date: June 6, 2000 | Edition: 1

This new book presents an introduction to the essential elements of optics and photonics. Optics as a subject, has evolved dramatically in recent years, and is now an essential part of many science and engineering disciplines as well as being commonly found throughout everyday life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...written well and the authors have a nice readable style...the book scores as a general overview of the subject. It presents useful short summaries of many important concepts..." Optics And Lasers in Engineering

From the Back Cover

Optics is a subject that touches every part of life and one that has evolved dramatically in recent years. Optics and Photonics: An Introduction brings together in one book both the basics of the subject and an introduction to recent developments and applications. Although emphasis is placed on an understanding of the fundamentals, many diverse applications have been included to highlight the relevance and importance of optics in everyday life. Carefully structured, the reader is led from first principles and theories through to diffraction and properties of interference, and then on to more advanced and interesting concepts and applications. Optics and Photonics An Introduction
* Provides a thorough introduction to this rapidly developing and increasingly diverse subject.
* Is a balanced introduction both to geometric optics, diffraction, interferometry and spectroscopy, and to photonics including lasers, optical fibres, holography, semiconductor optics and optics in nature.
* Includes many examples, applications and problems.
This textbook is an essential, modern introduction to the field of optics and photonics, and will be of interest to all science and engineering students.

Product Details

• Paperback: 456 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (June 6, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471489255
• ISBN-13: 978-0471489252
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,772,958 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Precursory Overview, April 24, 2005

By 

Frederick Sonnichsen (woods hole, ma USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Optics and Photonics: An Introduction (Manchester Physics S.) (Paperback)

I found this book to present a brief overview of the rather large field of Optics. Derivations of many of the equations are omitted and some rather abstract areas are not expounded upon. However as a fast reading overview of the major areas of optics this book provides a good introduction or review.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Horrible, February 7, 2006

By 

JR - See all my reviews

This review is from: Optics and Photonics: An Introduction (Manchester Physics S.) (Paperback)

This is quite possibly the worst physics textbook I have ever read. Our professor used it for an undergraduate introductory course in optics and I have to only presume that he was just using the book for the sake of testing it out. The book is totally inadequate as an introductory textbook for optics. I don't very well know where to begin and so for the sake of mentioning just some of its failings will be forced to inevitably miss some. For starters it doesn't explain any of its equations it presents, and I mean every single one! In writing this review I began searching through the book in hopes of finding something that was clearly derived but failed. Every single derivation involves extrodinary amounts of hand waving greater than in any physics related textbook I have ever read. In short the book doesn't provide the neccessary explanations that a student knowing nothing of optics desperately needs. The other major problem with the book is that its language is very confusing. At times it will use very vague language when dealing with very simplistic points resulting in a very difficult time in picking up even the basics let alone more complicated topics. Another problem with this book is that it seems to have a problem with defining terms. Curiously enougth one would think that this would be the most simplistic of things and yet it even fails here. At times in the book you will find yourself asking yourself 'what is that?' only to realize that the authors never bothered to explain it to you earlier. Although there are numerous other problems with this text I'll mention only one more for the sake of brevity. The questions at the end of each chapter are in no way representitive of what the chapter was just discussing. Additionally, they are frequently difficult to interpret and at times are so vague that one can't tell what is even being asked.

The only person to whom I could recommend this book to would be to a future author of a physics textbook. That way they would learn how not to write a physics book.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars it is an "introduction" book- not a text book, July 11, 2009

By 

K. Bugra Toga (Izmir, TR) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Optics and Photonics: An Introduction (Manchester Physics S.) (Paperback)

you cannot find long derivations or analytical justifications for what is proposed in this book. in contrast, you can read the adequate qualitative explanations for corresponding phenomena. i think it is a nice book to read on the bus/subway/train. i like it as a material scientist.