ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book describes portions that comprise an optical system, such as light source and light detection. It discusses the manipulation of light. The phenomenon described in the book occurs mostly because light encounters a medium or obstruction. The book explains reflection, refraction, diffraction and interference, absorption, and scattering. It contains suggested experiments. It also describes methods of calculating polarization angles and conditions, and one of the MATLAB simulations also illustrates the effects of polarizers and wave plates to manipulate light polarization. The book also discusses basic principles of geometrical optics, covering ray tracing and formulation based on the assumption that light comprises of optical "rays." It illustrates various topics related to optics, electronics, software, and applications. The book summarizes various optical sensing phenomena and different types of sensors are presented.
