LENSES NOTES

There are two types of lenses

1. Convex or Converging

2. Concave or Diverging

A ray of light is refracted twice by a lens, once when it passes into

the lens (air to glass) and once when it emerges from the lens
(glass to air).

Convex lens causes the rays of light to form a converging beam

and a concave lens forms a diverging beam.

The centre of the lens is called the optical centre and the direction
through the optical centre and perpendicular to the lens is called
the principal axis.

A beam parallel to the principal axis will form a converging beam

with a convex lens and a diverging beam with a concave lens.

The focus is the point on the principal axis to which all rays
originally parallel and close to the principal axis converge to or
from which the diverge from after passing through the lens.

The focal length is the distance from the focus to the optical
centre.

For a Convex lens the focus is real and so the focal length f is
positive
For a concave lens the focus is virtual and so the focal length f is
negative.

Also, since the light may pass through a lens in either direction
there are two focus points equidistant from the optical centre.
Ray Diagrams used to locate the image in a lens.

Three classes of rays

1. Rays parallel to the principal axis will pass through the

focus after refraction through the lens.

2. Rays through the principal focus will emerge parallel to

the principal axis after refraction through the lens
(reversibility of light)

3. Rays through the optical centre are undeviated.

Convex Lens

1. Object between F1 and Optical Centre

Image is
(i) Behind the object
(ii) Virtual
(iii) Upright
(iv) Larger than object.

2. Object at either F1 or F2

Image is at infinity
 3. Object between F1 and 2F1

Image is
(i) Beyond 2F2
(ii) Real
(iii) Inverted
(iv) Magnified

4. Object is at 2F1

Image is
(i) At 2F2
(ii) Real
(iii) Inverted
(iv) Same size as object
 5. Object beyond 2F1

Image is
(i) Between F2 and 2F2
(ii) Real
(iii) Inverted
(iv) Smaller than object

6. Object at infinity

Image is
(i) At F
(ii) Real
(iii) Inverted
(iv) Smaller than object
For a concave lens the image is always

(i) Between the object and the lens

(ii) Virtual
(iii) Upright
(iv) Diminished

So again, Real image implies a convex lens

Virtual and magnified implies convex
Virtual and diminished implies convex

LENS / MIRROR EQUATION

All distance values are measured with the optical centre as the
origin

We use the following symbols

u = distance from the object to the lens

v = distance from the image to the lens

f = focal length distance from focus to lens

For any lens it can be proved that
1 1 1
 
u v f

and also, that the magnification

height of image v
m 
height of object u

And again, using the REAL IS POSITIVE convention give

Convex lens: Real focus so f is +ve

Concave lens: Virtual focus so f is –ve

Lenses in combination

When two lenses are placed in combination together another lens

is produced. This produces a lens with a focal length which we
will call fcombination

If f1 is the focal length of the first lens and

f2 is the focal length of the second lens

It can be shown that

1 1 1
 
fC f1 f 2

POWER
The power of a lens is defined as the inverse of its focal length
1 1
Power of a lens  
focal length in metres f
S.I. Basic Unit: m-1 Called Dioptre
Experimental Method to calculate the focal length of mirrors /
Lens
The diagram below shows where the focus may be found for a
convex lens and a concave mirror.

Convex Lens

The focus is the point through which light rays striking the
lens/mirror along a line close to and parallel to the principal axis
pass.
The focal length, f, is determined by the curvature of the surfaces
involved and is a fixed property of a lens or mirror.

If an object is placed at a distance u from a lens/mirror of focal

length f , then an image of the object will be focussed in the
lens/mirror at a distance v from it

according to
the equation:
1 1 1
 
u v f

General Lens/Mirror Equation

Method:
 1. Using the illuminated grid or the light box as your object
set up a number of the arrangements shown in the ray
diagrams. Try to find the image on a screen where
possible and if this is not possible explain why.

2. For each case measure u and v.

3. Determine the focal length, f, using the above formula.

Method 2. Using no Parallax.

The apparent relative movement of two objects owing to the

movement on the part of the observer is called parallax.

When two objects coincide in position there is NO PARALLAX.

No parallax is used to locate the position of a virtual image as it is

not real it can not be produced on the screen.

An object pin is placed in front of the mirror and a search pin is

placed behind the mirror.

The pins are set up in such a way so as the image of the object pin
in the mirror and the search pin are in line

Search pin
I image of object pin in the mirror

OBJECT PIN
The eye is moved from side to side while viewing a search pin
behind the mirror.
A position is found for which both pin and image appear to
coincide in the same straight line. When this condition of no
parallax holds the search, pin gives the position of the image.

The procedure can also be used where there is a virtual image and
v is a negative value in the equation.

PROBLEM SHEET

Question 1. A convex lens has a focal length 20 cm and an object

is placed (a) 25 cm and (b) 15 cm from it. Calculate the image if
the object is 10 cm high. For both positions produce a ray diagram

Question 2. A concave lens has a focal length of 12 cm. An

object is placed 60 cm from the lens. Find the position and size of
the image if the object 6 cm high. (b) If a convex lens of focal
length 20 cm is placed in combination with the concave lens
where is the new image formed. (c) Calculate the power of the
combination lens.

Question 3. A lens placed 25.4 cm from an object produces a

virtual image four times as large as the object. What type of lens
is this, and what is its focal length?

Question 4. An object O forms a sharp image on a screen when a

lens is placed 10 cm from the screen. When the lens is moved 2
cm further from O, the screen has to be moved
2 cm closer to the lens to retain the focussed image. Calculate the
power of the lens.

Question 5. A convex lens has a focal length of 20 cm. An object 8

cm high is placed 30 cm in front of the lens.
 (i) Draw ray diagram to find the position, height and
nature of the image.
(ii) Using the lens formula calculate the position,
height and nature of the image.
(iii) Calculate the power of the lens.
(iv) If a second lens, concave of focal length 100 cm, is
placed in combination with the first lens calculate
the height of the new image.
Question 6. A convex lens has a focal length of 20 cm. An object
of height 10cm is placed 50 cm in front of the lens.
(i) Calculate the position, height and nature of the
image using lens/ mirror equations.
(ii) Verify the above values using a ray diagram.
(iii) Calculate the power of the lens.
(iv) Assuming that the object position is fixed calculate
the type and focal length of a lens that needs to be put
in combination with the first lens so that the image
becomes magnified by 5.