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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.
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.
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 ...
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]
A 100 mm focal length f /4 lens has an entrance pupil diameter of 25 mm. A 100 mm focal length f /2 lens has an entrance pupil diameter of 50 mm. Since the area is proportional to the square of the pupil diameter, [6] the amount of light admitted by the f /2 lens is four times that of the f /4 lens.
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
The main benefit of using optical power rather than focal length is that the thin lens formula has the object distance, image distance, and focal length all as reciprocals. Additionally, when relatively thin lenses are placed close together their powers approximately add. Thus, a thin 2.0-dioptre lens placed close to a thin 0.5-dioptre lens ...
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.