Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The focal point F and focal length f of a positive (convex) lens, a negative (concave) lens, a concave mirror, and a convex mirror.. 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.
Lenses are characterized by their focal length: a converging lens has positive focal length, while a diverging lens has negative focal length. Smaller focal length indicates that the lens has a stronger converging or diverging effect. The focal length of a simple lens in air is given by the lensmaker's equation. [44]
Using a positive lens of focal length f, a virtual image results when S 1 < f, the lens thus being used as a magnifying glass (rather than if S 1 ≫ f as for a camera). Using a negative lens ( f < 0 ) with a real object ( S 1 > 0 ) can only produce a virtual image ( S 2 < 0 ), according to the above formula.
Another simple example is that of a thin lens. Its RTM is given by: = [], where f is the focal length of the lens. To describe combinations of optical components, ray transfer matrices may be multiplied together to obtain an overall RTM for the compound optical system.
If the medium surrounding an optical system has a refractive index of 1 (e.g., air or vacuum), then the distance from each principal plane to the corresponding focal point is just the focal length of the system. In the more general case, the distance to the foci is the focal length multiplied by the index of refraction of the medium.
The signs are reversed for the back surface of the lens: R 2 is positive if the surface is concave, and negative if it is convex. This is an arbitrary sign convention; some authors choose different signs for the radii, which changes the equation for the focal length. For a thin lens, d is much smaller than one of the radii of curvature (either ...
It is equal to the reciprocal of the focal length of the device: P = 1/f. [1] High optical power corresponds to short focal length. The SI unit for optical power is the inverse metre (m −1), which, in this case, is commonly called the dioptre (symbol: dpt or D). Converging lenses have positive optical power, while diverging lenses have
For concave lenses, the focal point is on the back side of the lens, or the output side of the focal plane, and is negative in power. A lens with no optical power is called an optical window, having flat, parallel faces. The optical power directly relates to how large positive images will be magnified, and how small negative images will be ...