Programmable Calculators: Their Use In Lens Design And Analysis

Abstract

For several years the hand-held programmable calculator has been known to be an attractive tool for solving some relatively simple problems in optical computation, such as general ray tracing, first-order optics, and optical system analysis. The range of application, however, can be extended far beyond this level and includes the semiautomatic design of unsophisticated optical imaging systems such as the air-spaced doublet and the Cooke triplet, for which examples are presented. In view of the limitations in the number of program steps, it is mandatory to implement such programs with utmost economy of use of these program steps and to utilize the inherent properties of these optical systems in order to obtain convergence in the automatic design improvement part of the programs. While the most appropriate application may be in support-ing the teaching of elementary lens design, these calculator programs can be quite helpful if relatively simple optical systems have to be designed without easy access to a large computer facility and associated software.