A spherical reflector is a reflector shaped like a portion of a sphere, so that light (or other electromagnetic radiation such as radio waves) from a point-source located at the virtual centre point of the sphere will reflect off the mirrored surface and back through the centre point of the sphere. A sphere is a perfectly symmetrical geometrical object. ... Prism splitting light Light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength that is visible to the eye (visible light) or, in a technical or scientific context, electromagnetic radiation of any wavelength. ... Electromagnetic radiation can be conceptualized as a self propagating transverse oscillating wave of electric and magnetic fields. ... Radio frequency, or RF, refers to that portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in which electromagnetic waves can be generated by alternating current fed to an antenna. ...
Spherical reflectors suffer from spherical aberration, since not all reflected paths focus exactly on the center point. Focal plane Longitudinal sections In optics, spherical aberration is an image imperfection that occurs due to the increased refraction of light rays that occurs when rays strike a lens or mirror near its edge, in comparison with those that strike nearer the center. ...
A parabolic reflector (also see Parabolic trough), known as a parabolic dish or a parabolic mirror, is a reflective device, formed in the shape of a paraboloid of revolution.
The parabolic reflector functions due to the geometric properties of the paraboloid shape: if the angle of incidence to the inner surface of the collector equals the angle of reflection, then any incoming ray that is parallel to the axis of the dish will be reflected to a central point, or "focus".
The Olympic Flame is lit using a parabolic reflector concentrating sunlight.
It is a sphericalreflector[?] (as opposed to a parabolic reflector).
Originally, a fixed parabolic reflector was envisioned, pointing in a fixed direction with a 500 foot tower to hold equipment at the focus.
Ward Low of ARPA pointed out this flaw, and put Gordon in touch with the Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratory[?] (AFCRL) in Boston, Massachusetts where a group headed by Phil Blacksmith[?] was working on sphericalreflectors and another group was studying the propagation of radio waves in and through the upper atmosphere.
Feeds |
Contact