Lens Makers Equation Derivation For a spherical refracting surface:

n a nb nb n a + = . s s R

Consider a thin lens, consisting of two spherical refracting surfaces close together. Between the surfaces is glass with refractive index n. An object is at distance s from the first surface with radius of curvature R1. The lens forms an image of the object at distance s from the second surface with radius of curvature R2. We apply the sign convention to the radii of curvature. We apply the equation above to the first surface. So na = 1, since the first medium is air, nb = n, R = R1, and s1 = s, so we have:
1 n n 1 + = . s s1 R1

For the second surface, na = n, nb = 1, R = R2, and the object distance s2 s1, since the lenses are close together, and the image of surface 1 serves as a virtual secondary object for surface 2. Also, the image distance s2 of surface 2 is the overall image distance s for the lens. Hence:
n 1 1 n + = . s1 s R2

Adding the previous two equations we obtain:

1 1 1 1 + = ( n 1) R R . s s 2 1

Now we let s , so that the image forms in the focal plane, so focal length f = s, and this gives us the Lensmakers Equation:
1 1 1 = ( n 1) R R . f 2 1

For example, consider a biconvex lens, in which both surfaces are convex with respect to the region outside the lens. Let n = 1.5, and the radii of curvature be 10 cm and 15 cm respectively. Now in this example, R1 = +10 cm, but R2 = 15 cm, since the second surface is concave wrt the incident rays within the glass, even though it is convex wrt to the air outside. Thus we have:
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 = (1.5 1) = + = , so f = +12 cm. f 10 15 2 5 2 3 12