About the books

The Rainbow and the Galilean telescope, the spectre of the Brocken and illuminated fountains—what can all these have in common? The answer is that in all of them the refraction of light has an important role to play. That is why you will read about them in the book written by the well-known popular science authors Lev and Aldina Tarasov. Professor Tarasov is a prominent figure in the field of quantum electronics and optics; Aldina Tarasova is a teacher of physics and studies methods for teaching the basics of science.

The book treats refraction of light from two points of View. Firstly, it describes the many, and sometimes quite surprising, forms that the refraction of light can assume. Secondly, the book traces the long and difficult path mankind covered before it came to understand some of the mysteries of Nature. Recent inventions such as the laser and the transmission of images over optic fibres are also dealt with. This book its related technology as well as by all lovers of Nature.

Contents

Preface

Chapter One. Light rays at the interface between two media

Chapter Two. Refraction of light in the Earth’s  atmosphere

Chapter Three. Passage of light through a prism

Chapter Four. Prisms and dispersion of light

Chapter Five. The rainbow

Chapter Six. Formation of optical images

Chapter Seven. The eye

Chapter Eight. Double refraction in crystals

Chapter Nine. What is fibre optics

Afterword…….

Index