Best layman non mathematical interesting book on Ray and wave optics

[Viishnuuu]

A book on optics which is less mathematical maybe a similar one to physics for poets or gamow gravity classics

 

[The Bill]

I wouldn't pick it as a first book, but as a second companion book, QED by Feynman is great. I'd upgrade that to a first pick if you want to get a feel for the quantum basis of optics first. The intuition for QED the way Feynman presents it overlaps a lot with classical optics intuition.

 

[berkeman]

A book on optics which is less mathematical maybe a similar one to physics for poets or gamow gravity classics

I can't tell what level you want based on your post (less mathematical than what?), but I did the following Google search and got some promising hits. Note that often Amazon books have a "Look Inside" feature that let's you look at the Table of Contents in the book and maybe a few pages to get a feel for the book...

 

[berkeman]

Here's the Look Inside at the Table of Contents for the "Optics for Dummies" book:

 

[vanhees71]

I wouldn't pick it as a first book, but as a second companion book, QED by Feynman is great. I'd upgrade that to a first pick if you want to get a feel for the quantum basis of optics first. The intuition for QED the way Feynman presents it overlaps a lot with classical optics intuition.

But the quantum electrodynamics textbook by Feynman is surprisingly old fashioned. It's the only book by Feynman I was disappointed about. Instead of getting Feynman at his best, you get Fermi (which was very good in 1932 but not after Feynman). I suppose we talk about the textbook on QED:

https://www.amazon.de/dp/0201360756/

 

[The Bill]

But the quantum electrodynamics textbook by Feynman is surprisingly old fashioned. It's the only book by Feynman I was disappointed about. Instead of getting Feynman at his best, you get Fermi (which was very good in 1932 but not after Feynman). I suppose we talk about the textbook on QED:

https://www.amazon.de/dp/0201360756/

You're referring to a different book than I was.

I'm not talking about Quantum Electrodynamics(1962.)

I was referring to the popular science book QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter(1985.)

I know in technical terms QED and Quantum Electrodynamics are synonyms, but since QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter is much more widely known, I figured using part of its exact title would not be confusing. Also, I assumed that the fact that the one I meant obviously fits the OP's criteria, and the other obviously does not would mean there wouldn't be any risk of confusion.

Oops. My bad.

 

[vanhees71]

Ah yes. That's one of the better popular-science books indeed.