LENSES AND OPTICAL INSTRUMENTS

Lenses are spherical surfaces made from a transparent material.

Types of lenses
[Activity 3.1. Longhorn 48]
There are two types of lenses namely;
• Convex (converging) lenses.
• Concave (diverging) lenses.

Converging (convex) lenses:

 A convex lens is a type of lens for which all parallel rays incident to it converge at one point after refraction.
They are thicker in the middle than at the edges.
Examples of converging lenses include;

Diverging (concave) lenses:

 A concave lens is a type of lens for which all parallel rays incident to it appear to diverge from a single point
after refraction.
These are thicker at the edges than in the middle.

Path followed by light through lenses

[Activity 3.2 Longhorn 48]

a. Convex lens b. Concave lens

Terms Used in Lenses

[Activity 3.3 Longhorn 49]

 Pole of a lens (P). This is the mid-point of the surface of the lens.
 Optical centre (O): This is the centre of the lens between its poles.
 Aperture. Is the width of the refracting surface of a lens.
 Principal axis (Pa). This is a straight line passing through the optical centre and principal focus of a lens.
 Paraxial rays. These are light rays close and parallel to the principle axis.
  Principal focus (Focal Point), (F) of a converging lens. This is a point on the principal axis where all rays close
and parallel to the principal axis converge to after refraction.
 Principal focus, F of a diverging lens. This is a point on the principal axis where all rays close and parallel to the
principal axis appear to diverge from after refraction.
 Focal length (f). This is the distance between the optical centre and principal focus
 Centre of curvature (C). This is the center of the sphere from which the lens forms a part.
 Radius of Curvature (r=2f). The radius of curvature is the distance from the pole to the centre of curvature.

Formation of images by Lenses.

1. Differentiate between a real and a virtual image?
 A real image is one formed by actual interaction of light rays while virtual image is
one formed by imaginary interaction of light rays.
 A real image can be formed on a screen while virtual image can only be formed in a
mirror.
 Real images are inverted (upside down) while virtual images are erect (upright).
2. State and sketch the principle rays used in location of images by;
a. A convex lens
b. A concave lens

[Rules Used in Construction or Ray Diagrams Fountain 53 & 54]

3. Use the principle rays to determine the position and nature of images formed by a convex lens for
an object placed,
a. At infinity.
b. Beyond the centre of curvature.
c. At the centre of curvature.
d. Between the centre of curvature and the principal focus.
e. At the principal focus.
f. Between the principal focus and the optical centre.
4. Use the principle rays to determine the position and nature of images formed by a convex lens for an object
placed,
Construction Of Ray Diagrams

[Activity 3.3 Fountain 57]

[Exercise 3.4 Fountain 58]
SELF CHECK LONGHORN 50

Determining the Focal Length of a Convex Lens.

 o The results are tabulated including the values of (u+v) and uv
o A graph of uv against (u+v) is plotted
o The focal length of the lens equals to the slope of the graph

Applications Or Uses of Lenses.

Convex Lens
• They are used in magnifying glasses to zoom objects for more details about them.
• Are used in eye glasses for persons with long sightedness (hypermetropia).
• They are also used in cameras to focus an image and also to magnify it.
• They are used microscopes to generate extremely magnified images of very small objects.
Concave Lens.
• Are used in eye glasses to correct short sightedness (myopia)
• They are also used in lasers found in different types of scanners, medical equipment, CD and
DVD players.
• They improve the quality of photographs in cameras.
• They are also used in torches to magnify the light produced by the source.
 • They are also used in peepholes as security devices that give a wide view of objects outside
Optical Instruments.
They are devices that help us see objects more clearly. They include magnifying lenses, eye glasses,
microscopes, telescopes etc.