Air Bubble in Water: Converging or Diverging Lens?

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The discussion centers on whether an air bubble in water acts as a converging or diverging lens. It is concluded that since the bubble is spherical, it can be treated as two plano-convex lenses with opposing focal lengths, resulting in an effective focal length of zero, behaving like a glass slab. However, some participants argue that both halves of the bubble are convergent, meaning they share the same sign for their optical power. The debate includes whether light entering the bubble will exit at the same angle it entered, suggesting that tracing light rays is essential for understanding the bubble's optical behavior. Overall, the air bubble's lens characteristics remain a topic of contention, highlighting the complexity of light refraction in such mediums.
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I was tackling a problem that came to my mind whether air bubble placed in water is converging or diverging lens.
What I have concluded is that since bubble is sphere, we can assume it to be made of two similar plano convex lens. Now both of them will have same focal length but applying convention states that one would be positive and other would be negative. Thus the effective focal length would be zero and hence it wouldn't act like a lens but a glass slab.
What do you say?
 
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Light will be deflected as it enters the bubble, will it necessarily contact the other edge of the sphere at the same angle as it contacted the first edge?
 
rktpro said:
Now both of them will have same focal length but applying convention states that one would be positive and other would be negative. Thus the effective focal length would be zero and hence it wouldn't act like a lens but a glass slab.
What do you say?
This is not true. The two halves are both convergent (or divergent) so their powers have the same sign. A glass ball in air does not behave like a glass slab.
To find out the character of the air bubble (or half bubble) lens you just need to trace one or two rays.
 
JHamm said:
Light will be deflected as it enters the bubble, will it necessarily contact the other edge of the sphere at the same angle as it contacted the first edge?

Probably not.
 
nasu said:
This is not true. The two halves are both convergent (or divergent) so their powers have the same sign. A glass ball in air does not behave like a glass slab.
To find out the character of the air bubble (or half bubble) lens you just need to trace one or two rays.
How can both be of same focal length. If we apply convention, one would be positive and one negative. Because the focal points would be in two different directions.
If they are both convergent, it would mean that the image formed would be outside the bubble?


Please illustrate with a diagram, if possible.
 
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