Directions
When you get to a page for a formula, enter the variables needed to solve the formula into the appropriate boxes. Then, it is a good idea to work through the problem yourself. To get the final answer to the problem press the button that has the name of the formula and the equal sign on it (Ex. "Radius of Curvature="). If your answer is the same as the one shown, you know you did every thing right. If not, you can press the "Explanation" button and get an explanation on how to solve the formula.
Example
To illustrate how this site works, let us work through an example for the radius of curvature formula. When you get to the page for this formula, you will be presented with a page that looks like this:
Radius of Curvature
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Suppose we want to find the radius of curvature of a +4.50 D sphere surface with an index of refraction of 1.498.
1. Enter "1.498" into the index box and "+4.50" into the surface power box.
2. Try to work the formula out yourself.
3. Press the button "Radius of Curvature=." This gives the full answer (110.66666666666666... mm) and the answer rounded to the nearest hundreths of a millimeter (110.67 mm).
4. If your answer matches the one given, you know you worked the problem out correctly. If your answer does not match the one given, you can press the "Explanation" button to get an explanation of the problem.
"Example" button
Another feature that can be utilized is the "Example" button. When pressed, a random problem is created; random variables will appear in the appropriate boxes.
NOTE
There are certain problems with these programs. There seems to be a math problem with the scripting languages used to write these programs. For example, when the program subtracts 1 from 1.523 the result is "0.5229999999999999." This also happens in other calculations. This will not affect the answer of a formula very much, if at all, but don't be suprised if you see these flaws in the explanations. This problem is currently trying to be sorted out, along with a way to round numbers to the nearest dioptor increments.
If you have any questions, please contact us.
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