A Course in Lens Design is an instruction in the design of image-forming
optical systems. It teaches how a satisfactory design can be obtained in
a straightforward way. Theory is limited to a minimum, and used to
support the practical design work. The book introduces geometrical
optics, optical instruments and aberrations. It gives a description of
the process of lens design and of the strategies used in this process.
Half of its content is devoted to the design of sixteen types of lenses,
described in detail from beginning to end. This book is different from
most other books on lens design because it stresses the importance of
the initial phases of the design process: (paraxial) lay-out and
(thin-lens) pre-design. The argument for this change of accent is that
in these phases much information can be obtained about the properties of
the lens to be designed. This information can be used in later phases of
the design. This makes A Course in Lens Design a useful self-study book
and a suitable basis for an introductory course in lens design. The
mathematics mainly used is college algebra, in a few sections calculus
is applied. The book could be used by students of engineering and
technical physics and by engineers and scientists.