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33. Geometric Optics
Thin Lens And Lens Maker Equations

33. Geometric Optics

Thin Lens And Lens Maker Equations

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Textbook Question
FIGURE CP35.50 shows a lens combination in which the lens separation is less than the focal length of the converging lens. The procedure for combination lenses is to let the of the first lens be the object for the second lens, but in this case the of the first lens—shown as a dot—is on the far side of the second lens. This is called a virtual object, a point that light rays are converging toward but never reach. The top half of Figure CP35.50 shows that the converging rays are refracted again by the diverging lens and come to a focus farther to the right. The procedure for combination lenses will continue to work if we use a negative object distance for a virtual object. b. Equation 35.1 defined the effective focal length fₑբբ of a lens combination, but we didn't discuss how it is used. Although an actual ray refracts twice, once at each lens, we can extend the output rays leftward to where they need to bend only once in a plane called the principal plane. The principal plane is similar to the lens plane of a single lens, where a single bend occurs, but the principal plane generally does not coincide with the physical lens; it's just a mathematical plane in space. The effective focal length is measured from the principal plane, so parallel input rays are focused at distance fₑբբ beyond the principal plane. Find the positions of the principal planes for lens separations of 5 cm and 10 cm. Give your answers as distances to the left of the diverging lens.
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