Part of an anecdotal history of optics and the study of light. Extremely thorough treatment of how scientists came to believe in the wave nature of light. Includes a short biographical sketch and discusses the work of Thomas Young...

Part of an anecdotal history of optics and the study of light. Extremely thorough treatment of the scientific findings and developments which led to the invention and refinement of the microscope. Includes a short biographical sketch and...

Corning serves as a leader in optical fiber technology and this website provides information about the uses of optical fibers in medical imaging, communication, etc., as well as industry news and related resources.

This physics department site provides a discussion and explanation of fiber optics and fiber optic imaging.

Students use this tutorial to investigate the refractive ability of converging and diverging lenses.

Instead of just ooohing and aaahing over that beautiful sunset, impress your loved ones with an insightful and informed explanation of just what makes sunsets so interesting, and they will oooh and aaah at you too! At this site, you'll...

A discussion of Christian Huygens' contribution to wave optics, and particularly to our understanding of the reflection and refraction of light. Excellent diagrams and a geometric proof on why the law of reflection is mathematically...

In this interactive physics tutorial about refraction, students investigate the topic of the direction of bending of a light wave.

A two-day lesson plan for students to learn about the anatomy of the eye and the nature of vision. Includes a variety of supplemental resources for teachers.

This physics department site features an indexing page for a variety of pages pertaining to atmospheric optics. Topics include rainbows, halos, auroras, mirages, star twinkling, sunsets, green flashes, coronas, and more. Excellent...

This physics department site provides links about the diffraction of light. Each page includes thorough explanations and meaningful graphics. Some pages include interactive problem-solving practice sections.

This site explores the microscope in great detail. Content includes a focus on the microscope's basic functions (including a general diagram), the history of the microscope, each feature of the microscope, differing objectives,...

This interactive unit will help students to understand the basics of geometric optics. Learn what happens when light strikes the boundary between two media as well as the difference between a real and virtual image? Also explore the law...

This tutorial looks at the anatomy of the eye and how the sense of sight works. This is the first part of a learning module. Subsequent sections cover how images are formed and detected, the concept of accommodation where the eye adjusts...

A simple activity to demonstrate how light separates into colors when it passes through water acting as a prism.

This is an activity that should only be done outdoors or in a well-ventilated area, with adult supervision, as it involves paint thinner. It demonstrates the concept of the index of refraction for different materials, in this case that...

This timeline compiles an enormous amount of historical information from the field of optics. From 300 BCE to the present, strategic experiments, findings, and theories are described.

For elementary students, this would be a great demonstration on properties of light and optics. For middle school and high school, this would be a great start to a lab but needs experimentation. Site by Exploratorium.

Find out about the physics behind those fun-house mirrors. Students manipulate a virtual optics bench to explore the images formed by mirrors and lenses.

Biography of Anders Jonas Angstrom (1814-1874), a Swedish physicist who pioneered the field of spectroscopy. He was also well known for his work in mathematics and astronomy.

Biography of Etienne-Louis Malus (1775-1812), a famous French mathematician and physicist, best known for his work in double refraction and in polarization.

Ed Boyden shows how, by inserting genes for light-sensitive proteins into brain cells, he can selectively activate or de-activate specific neurons with fiber-optic implants. With this unprecedented level of control, he's managed to cure...

Punctate keratitis is an eye disease that results in abrasions on the epithelial cornea. One of the leading causes of the disease is the overuse of contact lenses. A research team is investigating the optical properties of four new types...

An investigation into how polarized light behaves, with instructions on how to make a polarizer using glass slides. With a link to an article explaining about polarized light. PDF (requires Adobe Reader).