Lenses
A lens is made of transparent material such
as glass or plastic with a refractive index
larger than that of air.
Two Types of Lenses
• A convex lens is thicker at the center than at
the edges. Also called converging.
• A concave lens is thinner at then center than
at the edges. Also called diverging.
Features of Lenses
• Principal Plane: the line that passes vertically
through the middle of the lens.
• Principal Axis: the straight line perpendicular to
the Principal Plane of the lens at its center.
• Focal Point: the location where the parallel rays of
light from the source meet, or converge.
• Focal Length: the distance from the Focal Point to
the Principal Plane along the Principal Axis.
• Center of Curvature: twice the distance of the focal
point to the mirror surface.
Finding the Location of the
Image using a Lens
• Use ray diagram analysis.
• Use mathematical analysis.
• The lens equation:
1/f = 1/di + 1/do
• The magnification equation
m = hi/ho = - di/do
Note that these are identical to those for mirrors.
Characteristics of Images in a Convex
Lens
• An object beyond 2F will make an image that is
REAL, INVERTED, REDUCED. The image is
found between F’ and 2F’ (on the other side of the
lens).
Characteristics of Images in a Convex
Lens
• An object at 2F will make an image that is REAL,
INVERTED, SAME SIZE. The image is found at
2F’.
• An object between F and 2F will make an image
that is REAL, INVERTED, ENLARGED. The
image is found beyond 2F’.
Characteristics of Images in a Convex
Lens
• An object between F and
the mirror will make an
image that is VIRTUAL,
UPRIGHT,
ENLARGED. The
image is found on the
same side of the lens,
beyond 2F.
Characteristics of Images in a Convex
Lens
• An object at F will NOT
make an image.
Summary of the Characteristics of
Images in a Convex Lens
Characteristics of Images in a
Concave Lens
• Causes light rays to diverge.
• Always VIRTUAL, UPRIGHT,
REDUCED.
• The image is found on the same side of the
lens as the object.
Optical Instruments
• Tools that use lenses
• Examples:
– Cameras
– Telescopes
– Compound microscopes
– Projectors
Viewing Lens
Picture Taking
Lens
Image Bearing Swinging
Light Mirror INTERNAL
Film
Camera Body
EXTERNAL
The most important aspect of photography is .
No light is allowed into the camera, except for when the button is pushed.
The and the are the two parts of the camera that
regulate the light that enters the camera.
The shutter is located in the camera box. It regulates the amount of
light by allowing it to pass through for a certain amount of .
The aperture is located in the lens compartment. Its purpose is to
control the amount of light that reaches the film.
If either of these two devices doesn’t work properly, the picture will not
come out looking as it should.
Telescopes
• There are several
different types of
telescopes
– Light
• Refractor
• Newtonian Reflector
• Catadioptric
– Radio
– Infrared
Refractors
• Hans Lippershey of
Middleburg, Holland, gets credit
for inventing the refractor in
1608, and the military used the
instrument first. Galileo was the
first to use it in astronomy. Both
Lippershey's and Galileo's
designs used a combination of
convex and concave lenses.
About 1611, Kepler improved
the design to have two convex
lenses, which made the image
upside-down. Kepler's design is Refractors are the type of telescope that most of us
still the major design of are familiar with. They have the following parts:
refractors today, with a few later
improvements in the lenses and •a long tube, made of metal, plastic, or wood
the glass to make them. •a glass combination lens at the front end
(objective lens)
Refractor animation •a second glass combination lens (eyepiece)
The first lens in a
refracting telescope
that light from a
celestial object passes
though. The light will
then be inverted at
focal plane
the focal plane.
The simple refractor
The second lens, located behind the focal plane, which
allows the observer to view the enlarged or magnified
image.
The Compound Microscope
• Works very similar to the refracting
telescope in that it enlarges small objects.
• Uses 2 converging lenses of short focal
length.
The Projector
• A series of converging lenses are uses to
show enlarged images of slides or movies.
One set of lenses is used to send intensely
bright light through the slide or negatives
and a second lens, the projection lens, can
be slid back and forth to focus the image.
Though the eye looks simple,
it is a complex organ made up
of many parts.
Each part is needed to make
the eye function as a mini
camera relaying images to the
brain.
The main components of the
eye will be described in
greater detail in the following
slides.
•The eye is set up to be a basic lens and receiver of light
•The lens bends the light which forms an image so that it inverts at a focal point
•The brain compensates for this natural inversion due to the lens, and re-inverts the
image, so that we see properly
•The pupil and iris also work optically to change the amount of light flow into the
eye, effectively darkening or brightening the image, depending on the amount of
light let into the eye
Defects in Vision
• Farsighted
– Can see far, but not near
• Nearsighted
– Can see close, but not far. (myopia)
• Astimatic
– An astigmatism is caused by a defective curve in either the lens or the
cornea
– Instead of the lens and cornea bending the light into a point, the extra curve
bend the light into a line which blurs vision
Defects in Lenses
• Spherical aberration
– Edges bend differently than center.
• Chromatic aberration
– Colors bend different amounts and need to be
resolved to get a focused image.
