GEOMETRICAL OPTICS

Prepared by Jay-R P. Valdez

REFRACTION
When light passes from one transparent medium into
another with different index of refraction, part of the incident
light is reflected at the boundary. Refraction is the change
in the direction of light when it passes from one medium to
another with a different index of refraction.

The index of refraction of a material describes

how fast light travels through a material. It is the
ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum to the
speed of light in a substance.

The higher the substance’s index of refraction, the slower

light travels in that substance. The lower the material’s
index of refraction, the faster light travels in that substance.
LAW OF REFRACTION
1 The incident ray, refracted ray and the normal lie
in one plane.

2
When a light ray passes obliquely from an
optically less dense medium to denser medium, it
is refracted toward the normal.

When a light ray passes obliquely from an

3 optically denser medium to a less dense
medium, it is refracted away from the normal.

4
At perpendicular incidence, no bending of the
light ray occurs.
Thin LENSES

Drops of dew can serve as

double convex lenses,
producing tiny, inverted
images of objects beyond
their focal points.
Thin LENSES
A thin lens is usually circular, and its two faces are portions of a sphere. It is a transparent
object that refracts light rays such that they converge or diverge to create an image.

CONVEX LENS CONCAVE LENS

A lens that is thicker at the middle than at A lens that is thicker at the edges than at
the edges is a convex lens. A convex lens the middle is a concave lens. A concave
is a converging lens. lens is a diverging lens.
Thin LENSES
A variety of converging and diverging lenses are shown below, though we
consider only the most basic types namely, the double concave
(or simply concave) and the double convex (or simply convex).
Thin LENSES
TERMINOLOGIES

Principal focus F is the point where a beam of

parallel rays converge after refraction by a
convex lens. This is also the point where the
refracted rays in a concave lens appears to
originate when extended in front of the lens.

Unlike mirrors, every lens has a focal point on

each side of the lens, F’ and F because light can
pass through the lens from either side. The
distance from the focal point to the center of the
lens is called the focal length, f.
Thin LENSES
TERMINOLOGIES

The optical center, also known as geometric

center or midpoint (O or M) of the lens is the
point of the lens where all light rays pass through
without being bent.

Principal axis is the line joining the geometric

center and the principal focus.

Centers of curvature 2F’ and 2F are the centers

of the arcs forming the sides of the lens. Their
distances from the sides of the lens are the radii
of curvature R1 and R2.
Thin LENSES

The same method used to locate

the image formed by a spherical
mirror will be used to locate the
image formed by a lens.
Although there are three basic
rays to consider, any two of
these rays may be drawn, the
intersection of these two rays
gives the location of the image.
Thin LENSES

The same method used to locate

the image formed by a spherical
mirror will be used to locate the
image formed by a lens.
Although there are three basic
rays to consider, any two of
these rays may be drawn, the
intersection of these two rays
gives the location of the image.
Convex LENS images
Image
Characteristics:
Location: 2F and F
Orientation:
Inverted
Size: Reduced
Type: Real
Application:
Camera
Object Position:
Beyond 2F’
Convex LENS images
Image
Characteristics:
Location: At 2F
Orientation:
Inverted
Size: Same
Type: Real
Application:
Photocopy machine
Object Position: At 2F’
Convex LENS images
Image
Characteristics:
Location: Beyond 2F
Orientation: Inverted
Size: Larger
Type: Real
Application:
Overhead Projector
Object Position:
Between 2F’ and F’
Convex LENS images

No image is
formed

Object Position: At F’
Convex LENS images
Image
Characteristics:
Location: In front of
the lens
Orientation: Upright
Size: Reduced
Type: Virtual
Application:
Magnifying glass Object Position:
Between F’ and V
Concave LENS images
Image
Characteristics:
Location: In front of
the lens
Orientation: Upright
Size: Smaller
Type: Virtual
Application:
Peephole
Object Position:
In front of the lens
Thin lenses
Thin lenses

Can you start a fire

with a magnifying
glass? If yes, what
conditions are needed
to make this possible?
Thin-LENS EQUATION
Ray diagrams for lenses give a good estimate of image size and distance,
but it is also possible to calculate these values. The equation that relates
object and image distances for a lens is called the thin-lens equation. To
calculate the precise location and size of the image formed by a lens, we
use an equation that is analogous to the mirror equation.
Magnification
Recall that magnification M is defined as the ratio of image height to
object height. The following equation can be used to calculate the
magnification of both converging and diverging lenses.
Sign conventions for lenses
The thin-lens equation and magnification can be applied to both
converging and diverging lenses if we adhere to a set of sign conventions.
Sample problems
What is the image distance and image size if a 5.00-cm tall light bulb is
1 placed a distance of 45.5 cm from a converging lens having a focal
length of 15.4 cm?

An object is placed 12.0 cm from a convex lens and an image appears at

2 24.0 cm on the opposite side of the lens. (a) Is this a real or virtual
image? (b) What is the focal length of the lens? (c) How many times is
the image magnified?
An object is placed 30.0 cm in front of a converging lens and then 12.5
3 cm in front of a diverging lens. Both lenses have a focal length of 10.0
cm. For both cases, find the image distance and the magnification.
Describe the images.
Try This!
Determine the image distance and image height for a 8.00-cm tall
1 object placed 46.5 cm from a convex lens having a focal length of
16.0 cm.

A 3.10-cm diameter coin is placed a distance of 25.0 cm from a

2 concave lens that has a focal length of 11.0 cm. Determine the
image distance and the diameter of the image.
THIN LENSES
The lens of a camera
forms an inverted image
on the film in the back of
the camera. A system of
mirrors and prisms
reflects the image to the
viewfinder, making the
image upright in the
process.
Thin lenses

Compare the parts

and functions of the
human eye with
that of a camera.
THIN LENSES
Onions produce a gas called Propanethial S-oxide when cut. This
reacts with the water in our eyes and produces sulfuric acid that
gives us a stinging sensation.
A look into our eyes

The eye is a remarkable sensitive and

versatile optical instrument. The eye is
perhaps the most fascinating and
most useful of all optical instruments.
We use it in almost all the things we
do and rely on our vision more than
any of our other senses.
A look into our eyes
A clear membrane or
ERACNO surface that protects
the eye from dust.

A ring of muscle that

controls the opening
of the pupil and
RSII regulates the amount
of light that enters the
eye. The iris gives
the eye its color.
A look into our eyes
The black circle that
ULIPP we see in the middle
of the eye. It is an
opening through which
light enters the inner
portion of the eye.
A clear liquid behind
QUASUEO the cornea which
RHMUO nourishes the eye
and keeps it inflated.
A look into our eyes
A clear convex structure
located at the back of the
pupil. Accommodation is
LESN the ability of the lens to
focus on objects at
different distances by
changing its shape.

These are muscles

attached to the crystalline
RACLIYI lens and are responsible
MLUESC in changing the shape of
the lens when focusing.
A look into our eyes
A transparent gel-like
substance located behind
TERVUSIO the lens that maintain the
HORMU eye’s round shape and
functions as a shock
absorber.
The inner surface of the
eye is called the retina. It
RIETNA consists of light-sensitive
photoreceptors called
cones and rods.
PCTIO It carries images from the
VEENR retina to the brain.
Conditions of the eye
Myopia is a medical term for nearsightedness.
MYOPIA People suffering from this visual problem can see
close objects clearly while distant objects blurred.

A myopic eye forms the

image of a distant object
in front of the retina
because the eyeball is
longer than normal. This
can be corrected using a
diverging lens.
Conditions of the eye
A person suffering from hyperopia or
HYPEROPIA farsightedness can see distant objects but
cannot focus clearly on nearby objects.

A hyperopic eye is too

short than the normal and
the image of a close
object is formed behind
the retina. A converging
lens is used to correct
farsightedness.
A look into our eyes
HUMAN EYE VS CAMERA
The eyes are our natural
cameras. Some of the basic
and fundamental parts of a
camera function just like how
the different parts of our eyes
work. Among these are the
lens, the aperture, iris
diaphragm, shutter, and
photographic film.
HUMAN EYE CAMERA
1 IRIS DIAPHRAGM

2 PUPIL APERTURE

3 LENS CAMERA LENS

4 RETINA FILM
END