Re: Wave Optics vs Ray Optics


Rex Stomponato wrote:
What's the difference between the two?

Is one more "physical" than the other?

I understand that opticians use both,
depending upon the task at hand which
seems a little strange to me.

Light propagation through ordinary media
and systems (not something extravagant)
is well understood.

Why does the duality persist then?

Thanks.

The duality persists because no model exists that describes light in
terms of our normal experiences. This is not a problem with the
theory, it is a problem with the way we understand phenomena. The
closest model we can get is to describe light by using both wave and
corpuscular theories. Neither is truly correct and neither is truly
wrong. Using the two descriptions is the easiest way to wrap our brain
around the physics.

There will probably follow a large number of arguements for one theory
or the other. In my opinion this form or arguement is as stupid and
futile as trying to prove that one religeon is superior to another.

Please visit my web site at www.richardfisher.com

.