ANALYSIS

A lens is a transparent material with two non-parallel curved edges or one

plane and one curved edge. If the middle part of lens is thicker, it is called a

converging lens. If the middle part is thinner, the lens is called diverging lens. The

magnifying ability of a lens depends on its focal length. In this experiment, we were

able to determine the length of two convex lenses by measuring object and image

distances.

Figure 1a. Diverging Lenses

Figure 1b. Converging Lenses

A lens is a transmissive optical device that focuses or disperses a light beam

by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent

material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (elements), usually

arranged along a common axis. Lenses are made from materials such as glass or

plastic and are ground and polished or molded to a desired shape. A lens can focus

light to form an image, unlike a prism, which refracts light without focusing. Devices

that similarly focus or disperse waves and radiation other than visible light are also

called lenses, such as microwave lenses, electron lenses, acoustic lenses, or

explosive lenses.

Types of simple lenses

Lenses are classified by the curvature of the two optical surfaces. A lens is

biconvex (or double convex, or just convex) if both surfaces are convex. If both

surfaces have the same radius of curvature, the lens is equiconvex. A lens with two

concave surfaces is biconcave (or just concave). If one of the surfaces is flat, the lens

is plano-convex or Plano-concave depending on the curvature of the other surface.

A lens with one convex and one concave side is convex-concave or meniscus. It is

this type of lens that is most commonly used in corrective lenses.

If the lens is biconvex or plano-convex, a collimated beam of light passing

through the lens converges to a spot (a focus) behind the lens. In this case, the lens

is called a positive or converging lens. The distance from the lens to the spot is the

focal length of the lens, which is commonly abbreviated f in diagrams and equations.
An extended hemispherical lens is a special type of plano-convex lens, in which the

lens's curved surface is a full hemisphere and the lens is much thicker than the radius

of curvature.

In this activity, a theory was given to us and we need to prove it through this

experiment. The theory states that the thin lens equation can be used with either

converging or diverging lenses that are thin and or relates the object distance s, the

image distance s’ and the focal length of the lens f.

1 1 1
= +
𝑓 𝑠 𝑠′

(Equation 1)

The magnification M is the comparison of the image size and the object size.

ℎ𝑖
𝑀=
ℎ𝑜

(Equation 2)

The magnification M is also the ratio of the image distance and object

distance.

𝑠′
𝑀= −
𝑠

(Equation 3)
 The negative sign is for the orientation of the image. If the magnification is

positive, the image is erect. The image is inverted if the magnification is negative.

In order for us to prove the said theory, the following procedures were

followed. We measured the height of the object and recorded this as ho. the object is

a light source (vertical lighted arrow).

We placed the light source at the 0-cm mark of the optics bench and the screen

at the 90-cm mark. We placed the converging lens between the light and the screen.

After that, we started with the lens closer to the light source and then moved

the lens until a sharp image t source on the screen until a sharp image of the object

is formed. This is position 1 of the lenses. We measured the object distance and the

image distance. We also measured the image height and recorded this as h i. we

computed the focal length and the magnification.

 We moved the lens closer to the screen until another sharp (and diminished)

image is formed on the screen. We measured the object distance and the image

distance. We also measured the image height and recorded it as hi. we computed the

focal length and the magnification.

We repeated procedures 2-4 for two more trials. We placed the screen at the

100-cm mark for trial and at the 110-cm mark for trial 3.

After conducting the following steps, the following results were obtained.

Table shows the Focal Length within a converging lens. In trial 1 the position of the

image is at 90 cm, 100 cm, 110 cm respectively. Based from the results, at position

1, it has an average focal length of 10.01445cm with a corresponding percentage

error of 0.1445 %. On the other hand, on position 2, it garnered an average focal

length of 10.0881cm and a computed percentage error of 0.881%. From the results,

it can be said that the quantities obtained are precise and close to the real value.

To get the following set of values of focal length, the formula given above

was utilized in the experiment, that is, the reciprocal sum of the reciprocated value

of the object distance and image distance.

 TABLE 1. Determining of Focal Length of a Converging Lens (actual value =

+20cm)

Position of POSITION 1 POSITION 2

Image Object Image Focal Object Image Focal

Screen Distance Distance Length Distance Distance Length

(cm) (cm)

90 cm 11.3 cm 78.7 cm 9.8814 78.3 cm 11.7 cm 10.1833

100 cm 11.3 cm 88.7 cm 10.0200 88.6 cm 11.4 cm 10.1010

110 cm 11.3 cm 98.7 cm 10.1420 98.9 cm 11.1 cm 9.9800

Average Focal length 10.01445 Average Focal 10.0881

length

Percentage Error 0.1445 % Percentage Error 0.881 %

Related to the result of the first part of the activity, Table 2 depicts the Image

magnification formed in the activity. Following the given set of formula, we

calculated the image magnification from position 1 and position 2 from 90 cm, 100

cm, and 110 cm respectively. Base from the results that were shown on the table

below, an average percent difference of 0.51225 %. From the percentage of error

that was computed, it can be said that the results obtained were precise and close to

the original and expected values.

 In this part of the experiment, the image magnification was both computed by

utilizing the two formulas given. The first formula in calculating the image

magnification is the negative quotient of the image distance and object distance. In

the same manner, based from this experiment, the other way is by dividing or getting

the ratio between the original size of the object and the image size.

TABLE 2. Image Magnification

Magnification, M

Position of 𝑠′ ℎ𝑖 Percent
𝑀= − 𝑀=
𝑠 ℎ𝑜
Image Screen Difference

90 cm -6.9646 7.1 1.9259 %

POSITION 1 100 cm -7.8496 7.0 0.6400 %

110 cm -38.7345 8.7 0.3958 %

90 cm -0.1494 0.15 0.4008 %

POSITION 2 100 cm -0.1287 0.13 1.0050 %

110 cm -0.1122 0.11 1.9802 %

 CONCLUSION
Lenses, like mirrors, suffer from spherical aberration, which causes light-rays

parallel to the optic axis, but a relatively long way from the axis, to be brought to a

focus, or a virtual focus, closer to the lens than light-rays which are relatively close

to the axis. It turns out that spherical aberration in lenses can be completely cured

by using lenses whose bounding surfaces are non-spherical. However, such lenses

are more difficult, and, therefore, more expensive, to manufacture than conventional

lenses whose bounding surfaces are spherical. Thus, the former sort of lens is only

employed in situations where the spherical aberration of a conventional lens would

be a serious problem. The usual method of curing spherical aberration is to use

combinations of conventional lenses (i.e., compound lenses).

From the experiment, it can be clearly concluded that the magnification of one

object can be both calculated either through the ratio of the original image size and

the magnified image or through the negative quotient of the image distance and

object distance. The negative sign is for the orientation of the image. If the

magnification is positive, the image is erect. The image is inverted if the

magnification is negative.

The experiment also revealed that if the magnification is negative, an inverted

and magnified projection or image is produced.

 The following results suggests that

The calculated values may be considered fairly accurate given how low the %

errors were. Nevertheless, discrepancies were still identified. Similar to the first

experiment, the definition of a sharp image is not so clear as to be accurately

determined with the human eye alone, and a method of assessing its “sharpness”

may contribute to lowering its impact on the results. The most obvious source of

error for both experiments would be the inaccurate measurements of the distances,

no matter how minimal the errors were. More precise methods and devices for

measuring could help remedy this. The applications of the findings of the

experiments are used in almost all scientific fields. Particularly, in the field of

astronomy, scientists use concave lenses to collect light from a distant celestial

object which then converge at its focus to produce a more recognizable image.

In the field of Civil Engineering, the process of surveying is also done with

the use of theodolites which are instruments that measure angles between two

locations; these make use of combinations of lenses and mirrors to achieve the

desired function.
DATA SHEET