7.

The Pinhole Camera

Images
When you investigated shadows, you were studying effects produced
by the absence of light. Now we will examine some of the effects
produced by the presence of light. Our ability to see is directly related
to the presence of visible light. We see an object such as a car because
some of the light being produced or reflected from the car is trans
mitted through the air to our eyes. Our eyes are optical devices that
use the light entering them to form a picture of the car. A similar
process occurs when a camera takes a picture. The light travelling
from the car forms a picture of the car on the photographic film inside
the camera. A picture formed by the light from an object is called an
image.

The Characteristics of Images

By comparing the images formed by mirror surfaces and many
kinds of optical devices, scientists have found that all images can
be described by the three characteristics shown in Table 7-1. The
place where the image forms also often needs to be known, and is
measured from some convenient reference point, such as the pin
hole of a pinhole camera, or the surface of a mirror.
Characteristics ofImages

Table 7-1:

Image
Characteristics

Questions to be Asked
about the Image

Possible Answers

size of .mage

How large is the image

compared to the object?

smalkr. the same

size. or larger

att.tude of imav,e

Is the image upright

(erect) or upSIde-down
(inverted) compared
to the object?

upright (erect),
or upSide-down
(inverted)

type of imuge

Can the image be

projected onto a
screen?

yes: the image is

real
no: the image is
virtual

Location of Image
(for mirro~c;)

Where is the image'?

behind the mirror.

or In front uf the
mirror

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(,eorretric Optics
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There are two types of images that can be formed by optical de

rices. Real images are images that can be projected onto a screen,
;uch as a cinema or overhead projector screen. You can physically
ouch a real image. In fact, if you hold up your hand in the right
)lace, your hand it~elfbecomesthe screen and the image is formed
m it. Virtual images are images that can be seen but cannot be pro
ected onto a screen. Examples of virtual images are the images seen
n a bathroom mirror or on the surface of a smooth lake. These two
:ypes of images will be discussed more fully in Chapter 8.

'\ctivity 7-4: Investigating the Image Formed by a

Pinhole Camera

)ne common type of pinhole camera consists of a box in two parts,

me of which can slide into the other. At one end of the camera is a
,mall pinhole, at the other end a translucent screen. In this activity
yOU will determine the characteristics of the image formed by such
1 pinhole camera, and explain how it is formed, using the light ray
nodel.

Materials
ldjustable pinhole camera
light source (candle), or capital letter "F" projected by an overhead
projector

Procedure
1. Point the pinhole of the camera at the window, and look at the
screen. Record what you observe.
2. When the room has been darkened, point the pinhole camera
towards the lighted object (the candle or illuminated F projected
onto a screen). Observe the image formed on the screen.
3. Draw a diagram of the object and of the image as it appears in the
pinhole camera. Note the size of the image compared to the size
of the object.
~. Observe what happens to the image on the screen when the object
is moved from left to right. Record your observation.
J. Slowly move several steps towards the object while looking at
the screen. Observe and record what happens to the image.
5. From your position in step 4, slide the part of the camera with
the screen away from the pinhole. Observe and record what hap
pens to the image.

7 Sources and Properties of Light

221

To see a (lear ima~e, it .s necessary to

point the pirhole camera towards a
well-lit object.

CAUTION: Be careful as you move

towards the object while looking
at the pll1hole screen. Make sure
there are no obstacles in your way
that you could trip over.

Discussion
1. State two ways to increase the size of the image in a pinhole
camera.
2. a) Where does the light from the top of the object appear on the
image formed on the pinhole camera screen?
b) From this observation, what can you infer about the path of
the light as it travels from the object through the pinhole to
the screen of the camera?
3. Draw a light ray diagram to show how light from the object forms
the image seen in the pinhole camera.
4. a) Draw a light ray diagram similar to that in question 3, but
with the screen farther from the pinhole.

b) What happens to the size of the image? Explain why.

5. What are the characteristics of the image formed by a pinhole

camera? (Refer to Table 7-1 for the characteristics of images.)

How the Image in a Pinhole Camera is Formed

Virtual images formed on water surfaces and in mirrors have been
observed for thousands of years. However, one of the first devices
used to project a real image onto a screen was the pinhole camera.
The characteristics of the image formed by a pinhole camera can
be explained using the light ray model. Because light travels in
straight lines, a light ray travelling from the top of an object through
the pinhole of the camera strikes the screen near the bottom (see
Figure 7-8). Similarly, a light ray travelling from the bottom of the
object through the pinhole strikes the screen near the top. Light rays
from all other parts of the object behave in the same manner, result
ing in an inverted image.
Because the pinhole is usually closer to the screen than to the
object, the light rays passing through the pinhole do not spread out
very far before they hit the screen. As a result, the image is smaller
than the object. When the camera is moved closer to the object, the
angle between the light rays travelling from the top and bottom of
the object through the pinhole increases. This results in a larger
image. When the two parts of the camera are pushed together, the
light rays have less distance to travel before they hit the screen. They
d.o not diverge (spread out) as far, resulting in a smaller image.
The characteristics of a pinhole camera image are that it is real,
upside-down (inverted), and smaller than the object. The size of

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III

Geometric Optics

the image can be changed either by moving the camera towards the
object or by sliding the two parts of the camera together.
Figure 7-8.

How a pinhole camera produces images.

translucent
screen

translucent
screen
object

Study Questions
1. Define the following terms: image, real image, inverted image.

2. Describe the three characteristics of any image, an<;l list the

possible alternatives for each.

3. a) Describe the characteristics of the image formed by a pinhole
camera.
b) Draw a ray diagram to show how light rays form the image on
the screen in a pinhole camera.
4. a) Where should the object be placed to obtain an image in a
pinhole camera that is larger than the object?
b) Draw a ray diagram to show how this image is formed.

The size of the image changes when

the pinhole camera is moved closer to
the object.