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← Light: Mirrors and Lenses

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Lesson 8 of 11

What a lens shows

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6 min

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Hold a magnifying glass over some printed words. The letters look bigger. Lift the glass higher. They turn upside down. An image is the picture a lens makes. Upright means not upside down.

Convex lens, object close: upright and larger.
Step 1 of 3
  1. Convex lens, object close: upright and larger.
  2. Convex lens, object farther: upside down.
  3. Concave lens: upright and smaller.

The rule

A magnifying glass is a convex lens.

A convex lens close to an object gives an upright, larger image. Further away, the image is upside down. First it is still larger, then it gets smaller. A concave lens always gives an upright, smaller image.

A concave mirror and a convex lens both bring rays together. So they make the same kinds of image.

A convex mirror and a concave lens both spread rays. So they make the same kinds of image.

Move the object away. Try both lenses.

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