ABSTRACT
The previous chapter dealt with the fundamental theory culminating in exact expressions for the basic properties of thin-film systems. These are the expressions that we normally use in computing coating performance. There is more to designing, manufacturing, and using coatings than simple calculation. There are many additional techniques that can help us. Some of these are based on older approximate methods of calculation that predate digital computers and nowadays are used more for rapid understanding than for performance calculation. Others are accurate techniques that we will tend to use in an approximate way. Some are based on properties of the characteristic matrices themselves.
