Ray Diagrams for Lenses

lens type

converging

diverging

focal length

1.5

reset values

Solve

:Solve was unable to solve the system with inexact coefficients. The answer was obtained by solving a corresponding exact system and numericizing the result.

Solve

:Solve was unable to solve the system with inexact coefficients. The answer was obtained by solving a corresponding exact system and numericizing the result.

Solve

:Solve was unable to solve the system with inexact coefficients. The answer was obtained by solving a corresponding exact system and numericizing the result.

General

:Further output of Solve::ratnz will be suppressed during this calculation.

This Demonstration lets you visualize the ray diagrams for converging and diverging lenses. By manipulating the object and lens locations, you can create real or virtual images. The rays parallel to the principal axis and the ray through the center of the lens are drawn.

Locators allow you to drag both the object and the lens. You can change the focal length using a slider. The degree of magnification and nature (real or virtual) of the image are displayed.