#Science and #Poetry for #MerryChristmas

Light Times Two – a poem by Kate Rauner

My Xmas Tree 2015

The speed of light is constant,

That’s what you think you know.

But only in a vacuum.

Through glass it can go slow.

An index of refraction

Predicts the speed of light,

Determines how the wave is bent

On its transverse flight.

Some light transmits through the glass,

And some will be reflected.

Brewster’s angles, Fresnel calcs,

The focal length of lenses.

So with great precision,

With science as explainer,

Every light on my Christmas tree,

In the window, has a doppelganger.

Optics is a fascinating field. Consider the refractive index at wikipedia.

Filed under: Poetry Tagged: Brewster, focal length, Fresnel, lens, light, poem, poetry, reflection, refraction, speed of light