Title

Teaching optical engineering to electrical-engineering undergraduates

Keywords

Engineering education; Optics education

Abstract

We describe a one-semester undergraduate course in Optical Engineering that has been taught at University of Central Florida since 1985 to junior and senior students of electrical engineering. The choice of topics emphasizes first-order system-engineering calculations, rather than the more traditional theoretical viewpoint often found in junior/senior-level optics courses. Representative topics include: paraxial raytracing, field of view and F/#, diffraction-limited resolution, Fresnel equations, radiometric/photometric units, paraxial flux transfer, blackbody radiation, detector responsivity and sensitivity, shot noise, Johnson noise, and laser-beam propagation. Homework problems emphasize estimation of magnitudes, as well as more exact numerical calculations. We have found this approach to be accessible to typical engineering undergraduates, and to be a good foundation for entry-level practitioners.

Publication Date

12-1-1997

Publication Title

Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering

Volume

3190

Number of Pages

205-207

Document Type

Article; Proceedings Paper

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1117/12.294384

Socpus ID

0031289692 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/0031289692

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