1. LASERS AND OPTICS By: MacKenzie Underwood And Carson Thweatt

2. The word “laser” started as an acronym for “light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.” • The word “optic” is derived from the ancient Greek word “opsis”, meaning “apperance, sight, view.”

3. Atmospheric Optics: halos Halo- an optical phenomenon produced byice crystals creating colored or white arcs and spots in the sky. • produced by the ice crystals in cirrus clouds high in the upper tropshere. • crystals behave like prisms and mirrors refracting light between their faces at 22 degrees sending shafts of light in particular directions creating the halos.

4. Rainbows • An example of dispersion (seperation of light into colors arranged according to frequency) • Seen while sun is shining in one part of the sky and when water droplets in a cloud or in falling rain are in the opposite part of the sky. • Would be round if the ground weren’t in the way.

5. Lasers • The coherent light produced by a laser differs from the random emission of light from atoms in common sources. • The laser isn’t a source of energy but a converter of energy. • All waves in laser lights go in the same direction and are the same color.

6. Halos • An optical phenomenon produced by ice crystals creating colored or white arcs and spots in the sky. • They form in cold weather when ice crystals called diamond dust are floating in the air.