EXPERIMENT NO.

112 THIN LENSES

INTRODUCTION

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 (Figure 1a). If the
middle part is thinner, the lens is called diverging lens (Figure 1b). The magnifying ability of a lens
depends on its focal length. In this experiment, you will determine the focal length of two convex
lenses by measuring object and image distances.

(a) (b)
Figure 1a. Converging Lenses 1b. Diverging Lenses

OBJECTIVES:

1. To determine the focal length of a converging lenses using the thin lens equation.
2. To compute the image magnification using image height and object height and image distance
and object distance.

MATERIALS

1 pc converging lenses (+200 mm)

1 pc image screen
1 pc light source
1 pc optics bench Lo
at To

at T
L

The change in length ΔL is the difference Figure

of the1 final length from its i

ΔL=L−L o (eqn. 1)
THEORY

The thin lens equation can be used with either converging or diverging lenses that are
'
thin, and it relates the object distance s , the image distance s and the focal length of the lens
f ,

1 1 1
= +
f s s' (eqn. 1)

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

hi
M=
ho (eqn. 2.)
The magnification M is also the ratio of the image distance and object distance.

s'
M =−
s (eqn. 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.

Figure 2
PROCEDURE:
1. Measure the height of the object and record this as ho. The object is a light source
(vertical lighted arrow).
2. Place the light source at the 0-cm mark of the optics bench and the screen at the 90-cm
mark. Place the converging lens between the light source and the screen.
3. Start with the lens closer to the light source and then move the lens until a sharp image of
the object is formed. This is position 1 of the lens. Measure the object distance and the
image distance. Measure the image height and record this as hi. Compute the focal length
and the magnification.
4. Move the lens closer to the screen until another sharp (and diminished) image is formed on
the screen. Measure the object distance and the image distance. Measure the image height
and record this as hi. Compute the focal length and the magnification.
5. Repeat steps 2-4 for two more trials. Place the screen at the 100-cm mark for trial 2 and
at the 110-cm mark for trial 3.

SETUP

Figure 3.
 EXPERIMENT NO. 112 : THIN LENSES

Name Group No.

Course/Year Seat No.
Subject/Section Date

Table 1. Determination of Focal Length of a Converging Lens (actual value = +20cm)

POSITION 1 POSITION 2
Position of Object Image Focal Object Image Focal
Image Screen distance distance Length distance distance Length
s s’ f s s’ f
90 cm c
cm cm cm cm cm m
100 cm c
cm cm cm cm cm m
110 cm cm
cm cm cm cm cm
average focal length cm average focal length cm
Percentage Error % Percentage Error %

Table 2. Image Magnification

Magnification , M
Position of hi Percente
s'
Image Screen M =− M= Difference
s ho
90 cm
POSITION 1 100 cm
110 cm
90 cm
POSITION 2 100 cm
110 cm

Approved by:

Instructor Date