LENSES

ALL ABOUT THEM

REFRACTION OF LIGHT
Refraction is the bending of light as it passes
from one medium to another of different optical
density, caused by a change in its speed.

Different mediums have different densities, and

the speed of light changes slightly depending
on the densities of these mediums.

The refractive index is a measure of how much

the speed of light is reduced when it travels
through a specific medium compared to its
speed in a vacuum. It quantifies the bending of
light as it passes from one medium to another.

Diamond has the highest density in the

refractive index, with a refractive index of 2.42.
REFRACTION IN A
GLASS SLAB
When light passes through a glass slab,
it undergoes two refractions: first, it
bends toward the normal as it enters the
denser glass from air, and then it bends
away from the normal as it exits the
glass into air. These refractions cause
the emergent ray to be parallel to the
incident ray but shifted laterally, resulting
in a phenomenon known as lateral
displacement. The extent of bending
depends on the refractive index of the
glass and the angles of incidence and
refraction, governed by Snell's law.
 REFRACTIVE
INDEX
The refractive index (n) is a measure of how
much light slows down when it passes from
one medium to another. It is defined as the
ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum (c) to
the speed of light in the medium (v):
n=c/v
The refractive index also relates to the bending
of light through Snell’s Law:
n1 sin I = n2 sin r
Here, n1​ and n2​ are the refractive indices of
the two media, and i and r are the angles of
incidence and refraction, respectively. A higher
refractive index indicates greater bending of
light and is a characteristic property of
materials like water (n≈1.33), glass (n≈1.5),
and diamond (n≈2.42).
REFRACTION BY
SPHERICAL LENSES
Refraction in spherical lenses occurs when
light passes through a curved surface,
bending as it transitions between different
media. In convex lenses (converging lenses),
parallel light rays refract toward a common
focal point, producing a real or virtual image
depending on the object's position relative to
the lens. In concave lenses (diverging lenses),
parallel rays refract outward, appearing to
originate from a focal point behind the lens,
always forming a virtual, upright, and smaller
image. The bending of light follows Snell's law,
and the lens’s shape and refractive index
determine the focal length, which is key in
applications like eyeglasses, cameras, and
microscopes.
FORMATION BY
LENSES
Image formation by lenses occurs due to the
refraction of light as it passes through the
lens surfaces. Convex lenses can produce
both real and virtual images depending on
the object's position relative to the focal
point. When the object is beyond the focal
length, a real, inverted, and magnified or
diminished image forms on the opposite
side. When the object is within the focal
length, a virtual, upright, and magnified
image forms on the same side as the object.
Concave lenses, however, always produce
virtual, upright, and diminished images
irrespective of the object’s position. The
nature and position of the image are
determined using ray diagrams and the lens
formula:
1/f = 1/v – 1/u
​ here f is the focal length, v is the image
w
distance, and u is the object distance.
IMAGE FORMATION IN
LENSES USING RAY
DIAGRAMS
Image formation by lenses can be
understood using ray diagrams, which
visually represent how light rays refract
through the lens. In a convex lens, key
rays include one passing parallel to the
principal axis and refracting through the
focal point, another passing through the
center of the lens without deviation, and a
third passing through the focal point and
emerging parallel to the principal axis.
These rays converge or appear to diverge,
forming real or virtual images. In a
concave lens, rays parallel to the
principal axis refract outward, appearing to
originate from the focal point. Ray
diagrams help determine the nature (real
or virtual), orientation (upright or inverted),
and size (magnified, diminished, or same)
of the image, depending on the object's
distance relative to the lens and its focal
SIGN CONVENTION
FOR SPHERICAL
LENSES
The sign convention for spherical lenses
follows the Cartesian coordinate system to
determine the measurements of distances.
The optical center of the lens is taken as
the origin, with distances measured along
the principal axis. Distances measured in
the direction of the incident light (to the
right) are positive, while those measured
against it (to the left) are negative. Heights
measured above the principal axis are
positive, and those below it are negative.
The focal length (f) is positive for convex
lenses (converging) and negative for
concave lenses (diverging). Similarly, the
object distance (u) is always negative since
the object is placed on the left side, while
the image distance (v) can be positive or
negative based on the image's position.
LENS FORMULA AND
MAGNIFICATION
The lens formula establishes the relationship
between the focal length (f), the object
distance (u), and the image distance (v) of a
lens. It is given by:
1/f = 1/v – 1/u
This formula is valid for both convex and
concave lenses, provided the proper sign
convention is followed. The magnification
(M) of a lens indicates the ratio of the height
of the image (hi) to the height of the object
(ho), expressed as:
M = hi/ho = v/u
If M>1 , the image is magnified; if 0<M<1, the
image is diminished. A positive magnification
indicates an upright image, while a negative
value denotes an inverted image. These
formulas are fundamental for calculating the
image properties in optical systems.
POWER OF
A LENS
The power of a lens quantifies its
ability to converge or diverge light
and is defined as the reciprocal of
its focal length (f) in meters. It is
expressed in dioptres (D), where:
P = 1/f(in m)
A lens with a short focal length has
a higher power. Convex lenses
(converging lenses) have positive
power, while concave lenses
(diverging lenses) have negative
power. The power of a lens is
additive in the case of a
combination of lenses, with the
total power equal to the sum of the
individual powers. The concept is
widely used in optometry to design
corrective lenses for vision defects
like myopia and hypermetropia.
THANK
YOU
BY OMAR S SHERIF
GRADE X