Numerical aperture ofmicroscope

Numerical aperture, or N.A., is a value that indicates the resolving power of a lens and is defined by the equation below.

Numerical aperture ofobjectivelens

So, in our work, especially when we get frustrated, I think we might do well to remember, “do not try to bend the spoon — only try to bend yourself.”

The following is taken from a Community post written by John Sabin, CCL Regional Coordinator for the Great Lakes Region. You can view his original post and give it the love that it deserves here.

Numerical apertureunit

Someone in my region recently sent me this story: “Our member of Congress seems rather unlikely to ever cast a vote with us. But over the years our local team has developed a warm and respectful relationship with the young staffer in that office. It wasn’t always this way! At first this staffer seemed quiet as a stone, and we found her quite difficult. Over time, though, as we have consistently treated her with warmth and respect, she has also warmed to us. Now she seems open and forthcoming, and she tells us that she looks forward to our meetings — and we look forward to meeting with her. We now have hope that our MOC might actually vote yes this month on one of the bills we’re supporting!”

Although N.A. determines the resolution of a lens, diffraction also plays a role in what can be resolved. Diffraction is a phenomenon that causes light to spread out like a wave. This property prevents even the most high-resolution lens from being able to gather focus to a single point source, making the focal point more of a disk. The smallest-size light disk that can be resolved is known as an Airy disk, and its radius is expressed by the formula below.

I think this is the wisdom of the CCL approach. When we focus on building relationships through kindness and respect as our first priority, then other people tend to respond to us with kindness and respect. This may be the meaning of “there is no spoon — it is only yourself.” That which appears to be other than ourselves is, in reality, a part of ourselves. When we treat the other as we would treat ourselves, there is a kind of magic that happens. This magic — the magic of seeing the other as oneself — changes both of us at once, and can perhaps melt the barriers to effective cooperation on the critical issue of climate change.

Numerical apertureformula with refractive index

Numerical aperture ofoptical fiber

Over the last few months, I have heard from quite a few CCLers that working with their member of Congress is “so frustrating,” sometimes to the point of chapters choosing not to schedule lobby meetings. We get frustrated because our MOCs are hyperpartisan, because they don’t support climate action, or even when they do support climate action but they don’t support carbon fee and dividend. So much frustration!

The value from this formula is resolution. According to this equation, the larger the numerical aperture (N.A.), the smaller the radius of the Airy disk. Therefore, a lens with a larger N.A. will be able to resolve smaller features, resulting in a sharper image.

Numerical Aperturecalculator

It is tempting to think that we can bend our members of Congress with the powers of our mind, but maybe that’s impossible. Perhaps it would help us to remember, “It is not the spoon that bends — it is only ourselves.” Perhaps we do not have to bend or change our members of Congress. Perhaps we only need to change ourselves.

n: refractive index of observation medium [e.g. n(air) = 1]θ: angle between the optical axis and the light at the outermost of the effective diameter of the lens

Frustration comes in that gap between what we want and what is, especially when we cannot seem to change what is. But we can let our frustration serve as a signal that turns us back towards what is actually possible. Trying to change members of Congress is sometimes like trying to bend a spoon with our minds, and this is impossible. “It is not the spoon that bends — it is only ourselves.”

We do not have power over members of Congress, but we do have power. We have the power of kindness, the power of understanding, the power of respect, appreciation, and gratitude, and even the power of love. (That’s our superpower!) So maybe we should let go of trying to bend our members of Congress, and focus instead on bending ourselves by tapping into these special powers.

Numerical apertureformula

©2024 Citizens' Climate Lobby. Citizens' Climate Education (CCE) is a tax-exempt 501(c)3 organization. Donations to Citizens' Climate Education are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Citizens' Climate Lobby (CCL) is a 501(c)4 organization. Donations to Citizens' Climate Lobby are not tax-deductible. 501(c)3 EIN 26-2948811 and 501(c)4 EIN 26-3521896.

Image

In a scene from the movie, The Matrix, the character Neo, played by Keanu Reeves, comes across a young boy who is able to bend spoons with the power of his mind. The boy hands a spoon to Neo and says, “Do not try to bend the spoon. That’s impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth: there is no spoon. Then you’ll see that it is not the spoon that bends — it is only yourself.” Following this advice, Neo is also able to bend a spoon with his mind.