The focal length of an optical system is a measure of how strongly the system converges or diverges light; it is the inverse of the system's optical power. A positive focal length indicates that a system converges light, while a negative focal length indicates that the system diverges light. A system with a shorter focal length bends the rays more sharply, bringing them to a focus in a shorter distance or diverging them more quickly. For the special case of a thin lens in air, a positive focal length is the distance over which initially collimated (parallel) rays are brought to a focus, or alternatively a negative focal length indicates how far in front of the lens a point source must be located to form a collimated beam. For more general optical systems, the focal length has no intuitive meaning; it is simply the inverse of the system's optical power.
In most photography and all telescopy, where the subject is essentially infinitely far away, longer focal length (lower optical power) leads to higher magnification and a narrower angle of view; conversely, shorter focal length or higher optical power is associated with lower magnification and a wider angle of view. On the other hand, in applications such as microscopy in which magnification is achieved by bringing the object close to the lens, a shorter focal length (higher optical power) leads to higher magnification because the subject can be brought closer to the center of projection.
Homework Statement
This is a follow on question. The first few questions ask about finding the numerical answer. The question that I am confused about and cannot do seem to do properly says:
Complete the ray diagram to locate the position of the image shown on the retina when effective focal...
why does the spot size increase with lower f#.
Lets says you have 2 lens of the same material, and diameter, just different focal length. F/2 has higher spot size than F/3 but F/2 is faster. Is spot size a characteristic of a lens? So if your detector is fixed in size you need to get a lens...
So I got a lab to plan and design an experiment to determine the focal length of a convex lens and involve the use of lens eq. and by means of plotting a graph...I have a basic rundown of what needs to be done and all but I am somewhat in a dilemma i don't have any access to any of the apparatus...
Homework Statement
A person with presbyopia can see distant objects clearly, but is unable to accomadate to see near objects because of hardening lens. one person cannot see objects nearer than 1.5m.
a)the focal length of the eye glasses needed to see objects as close as 25cm.
Homework...
I am doing an assignment for school about the focal length of a concave mirror.
I found that the focal length for the mirror was 0.0759cm-1
But, how much is that really in terms of cm? So basically, 0.0759cm-1 = ?cm
Thanks ;D
Homework Statement
Focal length of a concave mirror.
This was an experiment, done in class.
I was required to collect a light globe:(of course with a power source) for the object, paper:screen/image, and a concave mirror.
I created the images, of the globe filament, to the screen...
Is there a formula for calculating the required focal length for a webcam given the width of the field of view and the distance away from the subject the camera is?
Also is there a relationship between the focal length of a webcam and the 'fish-eyedness' or distortion of the picture?
I just have one question regarding the focal length of a lens. I had a test today and there was a fill in the blank section regarding how the focal length of a lens is determined (there was two empty spaces.) Wouldn't there be three possible answers. The curve of the lens, the index of...
Light is falling on the planar side of a thin planar convex glass lens. The curvature radius |r| is 50cm. I have to calculate the distance of the focal point to the curved surface of the lens, which to my understanding is the focal length, since it's a thin lens. Additionally I am supposed to...
Homework Statement
I'm trying to find the focal length of the diverging lens. The converging lens is 24cm behind a diverging lens. The focal length of the converging lens is 31cm. I know that parallel light strikes the diverging lens and then affter passing through the converging lens the...
Hi,
I need to know whether Refraction changes current focal length of a camera..I have a camera focused at the bottom of a water tank(without water). After filling water to the tank i cannot see the bottom anymore focused..I need to calculate how much should I move the camera vertically to...
How is it done? I've done a little research on Wikipedia and found the lensmaker's equation, but one of the values needed to compute focal length is the radius of the lens curvature. Strictly speaking, an aspherical curvature wouldn't have a set radius, would it? The reason I'm asking is because...
Here's a question on ray optics.
We say that the focal length of a lens is half times the radius of curvature, right. Now, consider any lens(say convex), made of any material(say glass). Now a beam of light parallel to the principle axis, passes through the lens. All the rays in the beam will...
A positive lens has a focal length of 12cm. An object is located a distance of 3 cm from the lens.
How far is the lens from the image?
Is the image real or virtual, erect or inverted?
My attempt
f = +12cm
o = +3cm
i =?
1/o + 1/I = 1/f
1/i = 1/f – 1/o
= 1/12cm – 1/3cm
= 1/12 – 4/12
=...
Hi folks, just joined the forums :smile:
Hope you don't mind me firing a few questions now and again, i have some reports to do over the weekend which is the last of my HNC in Chemical Engineering :!)
A lot of it is basic physics which iv done in the past but its just the odd bit that catches...
Homework Statement
A magnifying glass gives a five times enlarged image at a distance of 25 cm from the lense.Find the focal length of the lense
d=25cm
M=5
f=?
Homework Equations
f = d/M
The Attempt at a Solution
f = 25/5
f = 5 cm
But this solution is not correct please help...
Homework Statement
An object and a screen are separated by 20 cm. A convex lens is placed between them, 5 cm from the object. In this position it causes a sharp image of the object to form on the screen. What is the focal length of the lens?
The Attempt at a Solution
wouldn't it just...
Homework Statement
An object is located to the left of a thin lens. The image is upright, and the distance between the object and image is 20 cm. What are the focal length and object distance if the lens is 2 times the hieght of the object?
Homework Equations
1/p + 1/q = 1/f
The...
For this question, assume that the index of refraction of diamond is 2.39, that of glass is 1.65, that of water is 1.30, and that of air is extremely close to 1.
A thin lens made of glass has a focal length in air of 16.1 cm. A lens of exactly the same shape is then made from diamond...
Homework Statement
You take a picture of a poster on the wall of a room and maximum distance you can get from the picture is 3.1 m. The poster is 0.8 m wide and 1.2 m tall and you want it to fit in the 24 x 36 mm frame of the film in your camera.
What is the largest focal length lens that...
How far away from a converging lens must an object be ( in terms of focal length, f ) so that the difference between the image distance and the focal lengh is 1% of the focal length?
I tried to translate the words into an equation based on the thin lens equation but i don't know if it is...
# Diameter of a Plano-convex lens is 6 cm and the thickness at the center is 3 mm. If the speed of light in the material of the lens is 2 x 10^8 m/sec, what is the focal length of the lens?
I solved it in the following way:
Let R be the radius of curvature of the convex surface.
Given that AB...
# A convex lens of focal length 10 cm forms a real image of an object placed at a distance of 20 cm from it. Midway between the convex lens and the position of the image a thin concave lens is introduced. The image formed now is at a distance of 5 cm away from the earlier position. What is the...
A converging lens has a focal length of 25cm. A 1.00cm tall object is placed 15.0cm in front of the lens. Find the image location and size, and describe it. Draw a ray diagram.
Ok so I get 1/p + 1/q = 1/f rearranged for q=pf/p-f which equals -37.5, so the object is 37.5cm behind the...
Hello everyone, I'm confused on this issue. How can I tell if the focal length is going to be postive or negative when 2 lens are combined like the ones below:
Here is the directions:
You grind the lenses shown in Figure 34-49 from flat glass disks (n = 1.5) using a machine that can grind a...
Let O be the object, L be the lense, I be the image, and S be a screen for projecting an image. The lens can be placed anywhere between O and S. Let f be the focal length of the lense. Prove that for an image to be clearly formed on screen S, OS > 4f must be true.
A figure of a "too...
I am extremely stuck on this question and do not know how to go about it. Could somebody help me?
1. (a) If the human eyeball is 4cm from lens to retina, what is the range of the power and focal length of the eye lens when focussing an object an infinite distance away and one at the normal...
Hi .I am reall y confused about the focal length of lens.i understand that it is the length from the lens to the point where parallel beams coming from infinity after passing through the lens cross one each other.My question ,knowing thew focal length wher exactly does it help?does it have any...
Here is a shot of the transit of venus as seen from Swansea, South Wales
i used a 114mm reflector wiht a 900mm focal length with a Mylar solar filter.
A universal t-mount fitter with a 20mm eye piece. mounted on the t mount was a Canon EOS 50E loaded with Fuji Superia XTRA ISO 200 film...
the image's height? If so, how? I have the formulas, but see no way of making a substitution.
If you wanted to know the problem, it states:
The focal length of a camera is 35 mm and the radius of the moon is 1.74 x 106 m. Calculate the diameter of the moon's image that appears on the...
Hi,
Im working on a project in designing a (TOF) mass spectrometer and want to include an einzel lens in order to help focus the ion beam onto the detector.
I know the basics behind the operation of the lens, but am struggling to find any equations for the focal length of an einzel lens...
if a double concave mirror with a focal length f = -20 inches is used , where does the image seem to be located , if the image is 30 feet away from the lens
first i converted the 30ft to inches and got 360inches
used formula 1/p + 1/q = 1/f
.0028 + 1/q = -.05
1/q = -.053
q = -18.9...
In my physics lab, we have been assigned to find the focal length of a lense that was given to us. The professor says it can be found by using this formula: Object distance over 1 plus 1 over the Image Distance will equal one over the Focal Length.
So, we put a piece of white paper at ground...
I am trying to find F, i have L = 60cm and U = 31cm, how would i calculate f (focal length)?
and also how would i find the uncertainties?
thank you very much
Compute the focal length in air of a thin biconvex lens (n=1.5) having radii of 20 and 40 cm. Locate and describe the image of an object 40cm from the lens.
my answer:
1/f = (n-1)(1/R1-1/R2)
1/f = (1.5-1)(1/20-1/40)
1/f = .5(.025)
f = 1/.0125 = 80cm (convering lens because f is...