Optics Calculator - Lenses and Mirrors
🔍 Geometrical Optics Calculator
Geometrical optics studies the propagation of light as rays. This calculator helps determine the parameters of thin lenses and spherical mirrors.
📐 Key Formulas:
- Thin lens equation: 1/f = 1/d₀ + 1/dᵢ
- Linear magnification: m = -dᵢ/d₀ = hᵢ/h₀
- Optical power: D = 1/f (in diopters)
- Mirror focal length: f = R/2 (R = radius of curvature)
🔬 Types of Optical Elements:
- Converging lens: f > 0 (focuses light rays)
- Diverging lens: f < 0 (spreads light rays)
- Concave mirror: f > 0 (focuses light rays)
- Convex mirror: f < 0 (spreads light rays)
🎯 Applications:
- Eyeglasses and contact lenses design
- Optical instrument engineering
- Microscopy and telescopy
- Photography and videography
- Laser systems
📊 Sign Conventions:
- Positive distances: real objects/images (left to right)
- Negative distances: virtual objects/images
- Positive magnification: upright image
- Negative magnification: inverted image
Frequently Asked Questions
What does negative focal length mean?
Negative focal length is characteristic of diverging lenses and convex mirrors. They cause light rays to spread out.
How to interpret negative magnification?
Negative magnification means the image is inverted (upside down) relative to the object.
What is a diopter?
A diopter is a unit of optical power of a lens. 1 diopter = 1/meter. Higher optical power means stronger light bending.
What's the difference between real and virtual images?
Real images (dᵢ > 0) can be projected on a screen. Virtual images (dᵢ < 0) can only be seen through the optical device.
What information do I need to provide?
Provide at least 2 of the 3 main parameters (focal length, object distance, image distance) to calculate the missing values.