Unit 12: Light 

Thin Converging Lens

Thin Converging Lens
Learning Objectives:

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to :
At the end of the lesson you should be able to :
• Describe the action of a thin lens (both 
converging and diverging) on a beam of light.
i d di i ) b f li ht
• Define the term focal length for a thin converging 
lens
• Construct ray diagram for images formed by thin 
converging lens 

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The Use of Lens In Our Daily Lives
Telescope Contact lenses

Binoculars Magnifying glass

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What is a lens?

 A lens is a piece of clear plastic or glass with curved

surfaces.
Due to the curved surfaces
surfaces, parallel light
hitting the different parts of the lens
surface will be refracted differently.

Depending on the curvature of the lens,

li ht rays will
light ill either
ith converge or di
diverge.

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2 Types of Lens

Converging Lens Diverging Lens

• Cause parallel rays to converge • Cause parallel rays to diverge behind
b h d the
behind h lens.
l h lens.
the l

To Converge: To tend to meet in a point To Diverge: To move, lie, or extend in

or line different directions from a common
point; branch off.

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 We will only study

THIN CONVERGING LENS!

A thin converging
g g lens focuses a beam of light
g
to a point.

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How does light refract through lens?

All the rays

y on topp will bend downwards.

The ray in the centre

will go straight.

All the rays will

All the rays below will bend upwards. converge to one point

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 Features of Thin Converging Lens
Focal length ( f ) –
Principal axis Length between the optical centre and the principal
A horizontal
h i t l liline which
hi h passes focus
symmetrically through the optical
centre
f

Optical centre (C)

The ppoint in the lens that all Principal focus/ Focal Point ( F )
rays will pass through Point on the principal axis where all rays parallel to the principal
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undeviated. axis will converge to after passing through the lens.
 f
Light passing through a thinner lens bend
less – giving a longer focal length

Light passing through a thicker lens bend more –

f thus giving a shorter focal length
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Ray Diagram of Image formed by Converging Lens
Step #1: Draw a horizontal line to represent the principal axis.

Step #2:
# Draw a verticall lline withh arrow hheads
d to represent the
h llens.

Step #3: The point of intersection of the horizontal and vertical lines is the optical centre. Label it as C.

Step #4: Mark the principal focus/ focal point F on the principal axis. The distance between C and F is the
focal length, f . The value of f is usually given in the question.

Step #5: Draw in the object from the left side of the lens. Mark the object as O. The height and the
position of the object is usually given in the question.

Step #6: Draw two rays from the object

(a)From the object passing through the optical centre.
(b)From the object parallel to the principal axis. When the ray hits the lens, pass it through the principal
focus/focal point F.

Stepp #7: The image

g is at the pposition where these two rays
y intersect. Draw the image
g and mark it as I.

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 How to draw a ray diagram of image formed
by thin converging lens?

The following slides will not be found in

yyour notes. Please ppayy attention to the
process of constructing ray diagram.

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 In General, How to draw???
Step #1: Draw a horizontal line to represent the principal axis

This is the principal axis

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 In General, How to draw???
Step #2: Draw a vertical line with arrow heads to represent the lens

This line with two arrow

p
heads represents a thin
converging lens.
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 In General, How to draw???
Step #3: The point of intersection of the horizontal and vertical lines is the optical
centre. Label it as C.

Optical Center C

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 In General, How to draw???
Step #4:
#4 Mark the principal focus/ focal point F on the principal axis.axis The distance
between C and F is the focal length, f . The value of f is usually given in the question.

Principal Focus/ Focal Point

f f

The focal length

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 In General, How to draw???
Step #5: Draw in the object from the left side of the lens. Mark the object as O. The
height and the position of the object is usually given in the question.

Ob
Object, O

C
f f

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 In General, How to draw???
Step #6: Draw two rays from the object
(a)From the object passing through the optical centre.

A ray of light passing through the

optical centre of a very thin lens is
straight.
Object O
Object,

C
f f

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 In General, How to draw???
Step #6: Draw two rays from the object
(b) From the object parallel to the principal axis. When the ray hits the lens, pass it
through the principal focus/focal point F.
A ray of light parallel to
the principal axis will pass
through the principal
Object O
Object, focus after passing
through the lens.

C
f f

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 In General, How to draw???
Step #7: The image is at the position where these two rays intersect
intersect. Draw the image
and mark it as I.

Be careful
careful.Your two rays
start from the top of the
object. Where they
Object O
Object, intersect is also the top of
your image.

C Image, I

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 What are the characteristics of such
images?

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Characteristics Of An Image
g Formed byy Lens
When you describe an image formed by lens, you state the following things:
1 The nature of the image --- Real or virtual.
1. virtual
 Check where the object and image are.
• If they are on the same side of the lens, then the image is virtual. The
virtual image appears to converge on the same side of the object.
• If the object and image are on the opposite sides of the lens, then
tthee image
age iss real.
ea .

2. The position of the image from the lens. (Image distance v = distance of
i
image from
f the
h lens.
l Object
Obj distance
di u = di
distance off object
bj ffrom the
h llens.
3. Whether the image is upright or inverted.
4. When the image
g is magnified,
g , diminished or same size as object.
j
Image Height
Magnification 
Object Height
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 Object is placed exactly 2f from
real image : Use solid line
the lens

Object O

I
Image I
u = 2f v = 2f

Object Image Image is Uses

Distance u Distance v
u = 2f v = 2f • Real Same size copy
Image and • Inverted formed by
object on • Same size photocopier
oppositeit side
id as object
bj t
22 of lens
Object is placed more than 2f away real image : Use solid line
from the lens

Object O

Image I

u > 2f f < v < 2f

Object Image Image is Uses

Distance u Distance v

u > 2f f < v < 2f • Real Camera

Image and • Inverted
object on • Diminished
oppositeit side
id
23 of lens
 Object is placed between f and 2f from the real image : Use solid line
lens

Object O

Image I
f < u < 2f v > 2f

Object Image Image is Uses

Distance u Distance v
f < u < 2f v > 2f • Real Projector
Image and • Inverted
j
object on • Magnified
g
opposite side
24 of lens
 Virtual image : Use dotted line
Object is placed exactly f from the
lens
Image at infinity

Object O

u=f
Parallel rays

Object Image Image is Uses

Distance u Distance v
u=f Image at • Upright Spotlight – to
infinity • Virtual produce a
Image and • Magnified parallel
object on same beam of light
side of lens
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 Object Image Image is Uses
Object is pplaced less Distance u Distance v
than f from the lens u<f Image is • Virtual Magnifying
behind object • Upright glass
Image and • Magnified
object on same
side of lens

I
Image I

Object O

u<f
v, image behind object
Eye looks through the lens to see
the
h virtual
i t l iimage
Virtual
26 image : Use dotted line
 Object is placed very far away from the lens

Parallel rays from a distant object

Image I

v=f
Object Image Image is Uses
Distance u Distance v
u=∞ v =f • Real Telescope
Image and • Inverted
object on • Diminished
oppositeit side
id
27 of lens
 Lesson Summary
• Describe the action of a thin lens (both 
converging and diverging) on a beam of 
dd ) b f
light.
• Define the term focal length for a thin 
Define the term focal length for a thin
converging lens
• Construct ray diagram for images formed 
y g g
by thin converging lens 

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