Optical design teaching by computing graphic methods

Abstract

One of the key challenges in the teaching of Optics is that students need to know not only the math of the optical design, but also, and more important, to grasp and understand the optics in a three-dimensional space. Having a clear image of the problem to solve is the first step in order to begin to solve that problem. Therefore to achieve that the students not only must know the equation of refraction law but they have also to understand how the main parameters of this law are interacting among them. This should be a major goal in the teaching course. Optical graphic methods are a valuable tool in this way since they have the advantage of visual information and the accuracy of a computer calculation.