From the history of applied optics: the use of finite difference calculus to analyze a system of infinitely thin lenses

Roman E. Ilinsky

doi:10.62139/2949-608X-2024-2-1-99-111

Vol. 2, No. 1 (2024) History of Science

From the history of applied optics: the use of finite difference calculus to analyze a system of infinitely thin lenses

Roman E. IlinskyLytkarino Optical Glass Factory, 1 Parkovaya str., Lytkarino, Moscow region, 140080, Russia

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Abstract

The article provides historical information about the use of the mathematical apparatus of finite difference calculus at the end of the 18th – beginning of the 19th centuries to determine the most general properties of an optical system from an arbitrary number of infinitely thin lenses.

Keywords

finite difference calculus
Lagrange
optical system
thin lens
continued fractions

How to cite

Roman E. Ilinsky. From the history of applied optics: the use of finite difference calculus to analyze a system of infinitely thin lenses. Journal of the Russian National Committee for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology. 2024;2(1):99 - 111. doi:10.62139/2949-608X-2024-2-1-99-111