Physics 126 Course Materials
For Physics 126 you will need two items, a lab notebook
and the textbook.
The lab notebook should be bound, with numbered pages
having a grid. You will turn in photos or scans of
the notebook pages. I suggest at least 100 pages.
Here is an example:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0978534425/
You may use an electronic alternative for your notebook,
but if you do this, you must choose a program that allows
you to make drawings and submit your notebook as a PDF
file with properly numbered pages.
The textbook for Physics 126 is:
Introduction to Optics, 3rd edition
ISBN 1108428266 (978-1108428262)
Cambridge University Press
By Frank L. Pedrotti, Leno M. Pedrotti, and Leno S. Pedrotti
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1108428266/
The Pedrotti book is comprehensive, and at a good level
for upper-division undergraduates. Unfortunately it has
gotten more and more bloated with each new edition.
Two other books you may find helpful:
Optical Physics, 4th edition
ISBN 0521493455/978-0521493451
By Ariel Lipson, Stephen G. Lipson, and Henry Lipson
Cambridge University Press
https://www.amazon.com/dp/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0521493455/
This is at a higher level than the Pedrotti book, and discusses
more modern topics. It is an excellent reference, but you will
probably not find it necessary for the course.
If you need a refresher on error propagation and analysis,
this book is excellent:
An Introduction to Error Analysis:
The Study of Uncertainties in Physical Measurements
ISBN 1940380081 (978-1940380087)
3rd Edition
By John R. Taylor
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1940380081/