LENSES AND VISION

Lenses

f F F
f

Converging Lens Diverging Lens

convex lens concave lens
 Ray Tracing for Lenses
 Light passes through a lens
 There is a focal point on both sides of a lens

Converging Lens:

Ray #1:Parallel to the axis

Refracts through F

Ray #2:Through F
Refracts parallel to axis

Ray #3:
Through Center of lens
undeflected
 Convex Lens

IT IS THICKER IN THE CENTER THAN EDGES.

• IT FORMS REAL IMAGES AND VI R T U A L

I M A GE S D E PE ND I N G ON P O S I T I O N OF T H E
OBJECT.

• IT IS ALSO C A L L ED CONVERGING LENS

B E C A U S E T H E LI G H T T H A T P AS S E S T H R O U G H
I T T E N D S T O C O N V E R G E A T A P AR T I C U L A R
POINT CALLED THE FOCAL POINT.
 Concave Lens

• I T I S T H I C K E R A T T HE ED G E S A N D T H I N N E R
IN THE CENTER.
• IT FORMS UPRIGHT AND REDUCED IMAGES.
• IT IS ALSO C A L L ED D I V ER G I N G LENS
B E C A U SE T H E LI G H T T H A T P AS S E S T H R O U G H
IT TENDS TO D I V E R GE AT A PA R T I C U L A R
POINT CALLED THE FOCAL POINT.
Example: Camera
Example: Slide Projector
Example:
Magnifying
Glass
 Now, for Diverging lenses……
For a Diverging Lens:
Ray #1: Parallel to the axis on the left
Refracts as if it came from F on the left
Ray #2: Heads toward F on the right
Refracts parallel to the axis on the right
Ray #3: Through the center of the lens undeflected
 These equations also work on lenses:
1 1 1
  di
do di f m  
do
The Magnification
The Thin Lens Equation Equation

But the variables are defined slightly differently now

because……….

For a mirror, a real image For a lens, a real image is

was on the same side as on the opposite side as the
the object object
 Focal length (f) Object distance (do)
+ converging
+ object on the left
- diverging

Sign conventions for Lenses

Image distance (di) Magnification (m)

+ image on the right (real) + upright
- image on the left (virtual) - inverted
 Sign Conventions
f is + if the lens is a double convex lens (converging lens)

f is - if the lens is a double concave lens (diverging lens)

di is + if the image is a real image and located on the

opposite side of the lens.

di is - if the image is a virtual image and located on the

object's side of the lens.

hi is + if the image is an upright image (and therefore,

also virtual)

hi is - if the image an inverted image (and therefore, also

real)
 Sign Convention
do + object distance

di + real image, other side of lens

di - virtual image, same side as object

hi + erect image
hi - inverted image

f + converging lens (convex)

f - diverging lens (concave)
 The Human Eye

Near Point – Closest

distance the eye can
Far Point – Farthest
focus on (about 25 cm
distance the eye can
when we are young)
focus on (should be  )
 A doughnut 3 inches in diameter is placed 24

inches from a converging lens whose focal

length is 16 inches. Find the location, size and

describe the nature of the image.

 Answer: Image is real, inverted and enlarged

 Size: -6
 A sardine 8 cm long is 30 cm from a converging

lens whose focal length is 15 cm. Find the

location, size and describe the nature of the

image.

 Answer: real, inverted and same size of the object

 Size:
Test : Answer the problem and show solution ( 20

points)
1. A magnifying glass is a converging lens held less than its
focal length from an object being examined. How far
should a magnifying glass whose focal length is 15 cm be
held from an object to produce an erect image three times
larger?.
Answer: do = 10 cm
Test : Answer the problem and show solution ( 20

points)
1. A 35 mm camera has a telephoto lens whose focal length
is 150 mm. What range of adjustment should the lens
have to bring to a sharp focus objects as close as 1.5 m
from a camera.

Answer: di = 167 mm
 Results: Ray Tracing for Converging Lenses (in
each case, draw in the 3 rays for practice)
Object distance > 2f: Image is real, smaller, and inverted

2F F F

Object between f and 2f: Image is real, larger, inverted

2F F F

Object between f and mirror: Image virtual, larger, upright

2F F F
 Results: Ray Tracing for Diverging Lenses

No matter where the object is: Image is always virtual, smaller

and upright

F F
LENSES AND VISION
 Nearsightedness (or myopia) is another
mismatch condition in which a person is able to focus on
nearby objects, but not faraway objects. In the case of
axial myopia, nearsightedness is caused by the lens
being too far from the retina. It is also possible to have
refractive myopia, in which the lens–cornea system is
too powerful for the normal length of the eye. The far
point of the nearsighted eye is not at infinity and may be
less than a meter.
 A myopic person can see near objects clearly but

cannot focus distant objects. This is because the eyeball

is a bit long, or the lens is thick even though the ciliary

muscles are relaxed. Distant objects appear blurred

because the image gets focused in front of the retina.

 Nearsightedness can be corrected with a
diverging lens / concave lens. The lens refracts the
rays away from the principal axis before they enter the
eye, allowing them to focus on the retina.
 The maximum focal length of the nearsighted
eye is insufficient to produce a sharp image on the
retina, and rays from a distant object converge to a
focus in front of the retina. They then continue past
that point, diverging before they finally reach the retina
and produce a blurred image.
 In the eye defect known as astigmatism, light
from a point source produces a line image on the retina.
This condition arises when either the cornea or the lens
(or both) are not perfectly symmetric. Astigmatism can
be corrected with lenses having different curvatures in
two mutually perpendicular directions. Optometrists and
ophthalmologists usually prescribe lenses measured in
Diopters.