Classical Problems for Born-Wolf Optics textbook

[AndreasC]

I decided to go through Born and Wolf's bible of optics but... Um... The book has no problems. Which kinda sucks. Does anyone know if there's some kind of resource to supplement that?

 

[Baluncore]

What type of supplementary resource are you considering ?

 

[AndreasC]

What type of supplementary resource are you considering ?

Something which offers good exercises which fit well with the flow of the book.

 

[dextercioby]

May I ask you what led you consider this old, normally dated treatise as a source of learning optics? Why didn't you go for newer texts?

 

[AndreasC]

May I ask you what led you consider this old, normally dated treatise as a source of learning optics? Why didn't you go for newer texts?

Come on, it's not THAT old!

Honestly I haven't found one that I liked very much that is also at a similar level (actually I haven't really loved any of the books at any level, Hecht in particular which is supposed to be standard was a nightmare). Which ones do you have in mind?

 

[onatirec]

Hecht - Optics is often suggested

Peatross & Ware (BYU) have an optics book free online

I've also seen Fowles as well as Jenkins&White recommended (I don't know if that's really any newer, but it does have exercises...)

 

[AndreasC]

Hecht - Optics is often suggested

I have that book from my uni and it is one of my least favorite physics books ever lol. It is the exact opposite of what I look for in a book. I am also looking for something slightly more advanced.

 

[dextercioby]

Come on, it's not THAT old!

Honestly I haven't found one that I liked very much that is also at a similar level (actually I haven't really loved any of the books at any level, Hecht in particular which is supposed to be standard was a nightmare). Which ones do you have in mind?

How about you get hold of Guenther, R. - Modern Optics (Wiley, 1990)? It has exercises. IF you find a chapter treated too lightly, then you can try B&W as a substitute for that chapter.

 

[AndreasC]

How about you get hold of Guenther, R. - Modern Optics (Wiley, 1990)? It has exercises. IF you find a chapter treated too lightly, then you can try B&W as a substitute for that chapter.

I was put off because that book has few and seemingly pretty bad reviews. Seems to be a theme with books on optics for some reason. Does everyone just use the same horrible Hecht book?

 

[dextercioby]

Can you link to some unbiased bad reviews?

 

[AndreasC]

Can you link to some unbiased bad reviews?

I don't know who's biased and who's not, I didn't look that deep into it... The main thing was few reviews and ratings. It was few enough that it's probably just a fluke that they were bad but usually I don't look at books which haven't received many ratings unless someone specifically recommends them.

 

[Dr Transport]

I wouldn't call B&W a text, it is more a reference.

 

[AndreasC]

I wouldn't call B&W a text, it is more a reference.

Well it sure does make a better text than Hecht however. Although that's kind of a low bar.

 

[Dr Transport]

Well it sure does make a better text than Hecht however. Although that's kind of a low bar.

Then ask your own questions and use B&W to solve them. I am not aware of anyone using B&W as a text. I've seen Jenkins and White and Contemporary Optics for Engineers by Nussbaum and Phillips used. I had Hecht and Zajac 30+ years ago. I have a Masters in Optics, we didn't use B&W in school.

 

[AndreasC]

Then ask your own questions and use B&W to solve them. I am not aware of anyone using B&W as a text. I've seen Jenkins and White and Contemporary Optics for Engineers by Nussbaum and Phillips used. I had Hecht and Zajac 30+ years ago. I have a Masters in Optics, we didn't use B&W in school.

Jenkins does look interesting.

 

[Falgun]

Well you can use a problem book as a supplement. While I haven't gone through it personally there's a problem book in optics in the Y K Lim series.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017WQ5HZW/?tag=pfamazon01-20