MadSci Network: Physics |
I am working on a project about the effect of heat and atmospheric pressure on light. My dad is a land surveyor and he uses an electronic distance meter to measure distances. The instrument sends out a beam of light and it is reflected back by a reflector mounted on a tripod. The EDM has a built in adjustment for temperature and pressure. I'm trying to figure out what is temperature doing to the air that it would have so much effect that you have to adjust the instrument in order to be accurate. My dad says its the heat waves. I don't know what heat waves are. Could you help me understand this stuff?
Re: effect of temperature on light
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