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Introduction/background notes
What you need
What to do
Discussion questions
Student instructions: Make a pinhole camera
Introduction/background
This activity works best on a sunny day. Students build
a pinhole camera and view the image formed on the
internal screen. They see an image that is inverted
(upside down) and smaller than the object. As they
gradually increase the size of the pinhole, they see that
the image becomes brighter and blurrier.
When the size of the hole is very large, a lot of light will
enter the pinhole camera but no image will be seen.
Students then place a magnifying lens in front of the
hole and see that the image becomes bright and
sharply focused. This activity helps students understand
how the cornea and lens of the eye focus light to form
images on the retina at the back of their eyes.
What you need
What to do
1. Hand out copies of the student instructions Make a pinhole camera. Discuss the activity
with the students and assist them to gather the materials they need and construct their
pinhole cameras.
2. Discuss their findings and the questions below.
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Context > Light and Sight > Teaching and Learning Approaches > Pinhole cameras and eyes
Discussion questions
Context > Light and Sight > Teaching and Learning Approaches > Pinhole cameras and eyes
In what ways is this model (with lens in place) similar to the human eye?
Context > Light and Sight > Teaching and Learning Approaches > Pinhole cameras and eyes
If the hole is smaller (for the eye, that is controlled by the iris) then the image will be
more in focus.
The retina of the eye contains light receptors that convert the light into an electrical
signal. This signal is passed along the optic nerve to the brain. It is the brain that
interprets these signals as an image.
The eye is filled with fluid to bring the focal point much further forwards.
The eye changes focus by adjusting the shape of the internal soft lens.
The pinhole camera with the lens can bring things into focus by moving the position of
the screen.
What causes long-sightedness? How can this model be used to demonstrate longsightedness? What sort of lens is needed to bring the image back into focus for a
long-sighted person?
The opposite happens for a long-sighted person. A convex lens is needed to make the rays
focus inwards a bit more before entering the eye. This makes the image focus a bit further
forwards.
Context > Light and Sight > Teaching and Learning Approaches > Pinhole cameras and eyes