Coffee-Cup Caustics
This interactive simulator explores Coffee-Cup Caustics in Optics & Light. Parallel beam, circular cup segment, reflected-ray density on a table line. Use the controls to change the scenario; watch the visualization and any graphs or readouts to connect the model with lectures, labs, and homework.
Who it's for: Best once you already know the basic definitions and want to build intuition. Typical context: Optics & Light.
Key terms
- coffee
- cup
- caustics
- coffee cup caustics
- optics
- light
How it works
A classroom-famous optics artifact: the same envelope idea as an astroid, here built from many reflected rays instead of full wave theory.
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