Discutindo a natureza ondulatória da luz e o modelo da óptica geométrica através de uma atividade experimental de baixo custo

Abstract

In general, optics teaching at high school level focus on geometric optics. This is a successful model to explain reflection and refraction of light. However, it is not appropriate to discuss the wave nature of light, and to explain diffraction and interference, for example. In this work, we propose a simple experiment, of low cost, to discuss the wave nature of light and the limit in which the geometric optics is valid. Our proposal also provides a device to perform measurements of objects whose dimension is of the order of the wavelength of light.