History of optics: a modern teaching tool

The history of optics is a very rich field of science and it is possible to find many simple and significant examples of the application and success of the experimental method and therefore is a very good tool to transmit to the student the way science proceeds and to introduce the right spirit of c...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Vázquez Moliní, Daniel, González Cano, Agustín, Díaz Herrera, Natalia, Llombart, N., Alda, Javier
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2012
País:España
Institución:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
Repositorio:Docta Complutense
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/42788
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/42788
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:372.85
617.7:37.02
617.7537.02
612.84:37.02
535
History of Optics
Optics Teaching
Optometría
Óptica fisiológica
Enseñanza de las ciencias
Enseñanza universitaria
2209.15 Optometría
5801.08 Enseñanza Programada
Descripción
Sumario:The history of optics is a very rich field of science and it is possible to find many simple and significant examples of the application and success of the experimental method and therefore is a very good tool to transmit to the student the way science proceeds and to introduce the right spirit of critical analysis, building and testing of models, etc. Optical phenomena are specially well suited for this because in fact optical observations and experiments have made science advance in a crucial way in many different periods of history, because they are in many cases quite visual, quite simple in concept and it is very easy to produce experimental setups in classrooms. Also, the intrinsic multidisciplinary character of Optics, which is a subject that has historically influenced in a notorious way fields as art, philosophy, religion and cultural and social studies in general, provide a very wide frame that permits to apply these examples to many different auditories. We present here some reflections about the role that history of optics can play in teaching and show some real examples of its application during the many years that we have been employing it in the context of the Optics School of the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain.