Understanding Holography by Wenyon, Michael - 1980

David & Charles, 1980. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. 5.5" X 8.75. H/B 176 pages, condition is very good. 2nd impression. In a remarkably short space of time holography has been transformed from a science of the future into a science of the present, and everything seems to indicate that, with equal rapidity, its applications will become an everyday part of our lives. However, although we may admire holograms and be fascinated by the fidelity of their representations of natural or even quite impossible objects, we generally have very little understanding of how they work or even why they work. In Understanding Holography Michael Wenyon describes the art of holography in lucid and entertaining fashion for the general reader and the non-specialist. He begins by discussing the basic properties of light and the working and uses of the laser, and then moves on to explain how holography works and to show the ways in which it differs radically from photography, not only because holographic images are truly three-dimensional but also in terms of the underlying physical processes involved. He describes the fascinating properties of holography and of the holograms themselves, while remembering also the limitations and restrictions of the process. After an explanation of the different types of holograms - the ways in which they work and what they can be used to achieve - he discusses their uses in fine art, in advertising and in education, and takes a look into the future at such developments as X-ray holograms, for use in medical diagnosis, and holographic telephones, particularly useful for international conferences since delegates would not have to leave their own countries. He describes many intriguing applications of holography which have allowed it to serve as a useful tool for scientists and engineers in such diverse fields as non-destructive testing and computer memories. The final chapter of the book gives detailed explanations of how the amateur can produce holograms simply, in his own home, for about the same cost as a high-quality camera system. This is an absorbing and even exciting book, treating, as it does, a subject which cannot fail to have the most profound effect in all areas of man's endeavours, in the arts as in the sciences, in commerce, industry, entertainment and even in crime and its prevention.