The Laser Teaching Center
Founded 1998

Dept. of Physics & Astronomy
Stony Brook University

Explore Optics !!

Visit these web sites and the links therein to explore optics and related topics.



The Physics Classroom

The Physics Classroom Tutorial was written by Tom Henderson, a science teacher at Glenbrook South High School in Glenview, Illinois. Reading through the tutorial is great way to start learning about (or to review) physics and optics (start at "Waves").

HyperPhysics

Hyperphysics is a clever reference and self-learning tool that was developed by R. Nave at Georgia State University for high school teachers. It's a logically structured collection of screen-size "cards," with excellent illustrations and some interactive calculators. Don't be fooled by the tree-like navigation maps - there are additional write-ups that aren't shown as tree leaves. The Light and Color section covers much of optics.

ActivPhysics Online

Interactive supplemental material from the popular textbook by Young and Freedman, that's used in Stony Brook's Honors Physics course.

Wikipedia Timeline
Brief History of Optics
Molecular Expressions Timeline

These sites on the history of optics are great place to start understanding that many people have been making discoveries in optics for a very long time!

Google Directory (Optics)

Everybody knows about Goggle these days, but some may not be familiar with the Google Directory. It's a handy way to access all sorts of optics sites, whether you're looking for something specific or just browsing for fun. Try it!

Optics and Photonics News

OPN is the magazine of the Optical Society of America. It has terrific articles (as .pdf downloads) about all sorts of topics related to optics, at a level that's not highly technical.

Physical Review Focus
Physics News Update

These related web sites from the APS and the AIP present recent physics results in everyday language. Search the archives to find articles about optics-related topics.

Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD)

APOD features an image which changes daily at around midnight. Each amazing image is accompanied by links that you can follow to learn more. Last but not least, all past APOD's are available in an searchable archive, making this site a terrific resource. Visit it daily!

Optics for Teens

Created by OSA. Explains optics as a career, and has some useful optics education materials and links. But be aware that using some content requires installing specialized (free) software.