- #1
fluidistic
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Homework Statement
I can't understand my class notes nor wikipedia about this.
It's very important to know how to construct the ray transfer matrix since it allows to solve many thick lenses problems.
In wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_transfer_matrix_analysis#Definition_of_the_ray_transfer_matrix, I do not understand what they mean by [tex]A = {x_2 \over x_1 } \bigg|_{\theta_1 = 0} [/tex].
I don't understand the notation.
I can't even find the ray transfer matrix for a ray passing through a medium of refractive index=n (one of the most simple case I guess).
Can someone explain me what does the notation mean?
So that I can derive all the examples in the wikipedia page and solve a lot of exercises.
Thanks a lot... and sorry for being slow. I've also checked in Hecht's book, but I didn't understand most of it. As I said, I've absolutely NO IDEA about how to find the ray transfer matrix of the most simple cases.