This page contains references to various papers dealing with optics. In particular, lenses, microscopes, telescopes and other optical instruments are considered.
There are a number of ways to prove Snell's law. A purely geometric proof is provided here.
Refraction Diagram for Snell's Law
A paper deriving the relationship between the radius of curvature and the focal point of spherical optical surface is presented here: focalpt.pdf
Lens, Object and Image
In elementary discussions of lenses it is stated that the following equation holds:
1/f = 1/p + 1/q
A proof is given in lensfoc.pdf .
The lensmaker's formula related the focal point of a lens with the radii of curvature and the index of refraction. A paper deriving the formula is here lensmaker.pdf
Ray Diagram for Analysis