Convex Lens and Light Refraction

[pmmiller14]

Hi all,

if light was to go straight through a convex lens would it come out straight or inverted to a point? also if light was to go through the same lens but goes through going inwards how would the light be refracted?

 

[aresnick]

I think we need a bit more information, first. So, if a ray of light enters the very center of a lens, it will pass straight through, unbent. If the source point is beyond the focal point of the lens, the light rays will tend to bend toward the center of the lens, and if it the source point is closer than the focus, you'll get what's called a "virtual image," wherein it appears that the source is between the lens and the viewer (think magnifying glass).

To get any more specific, I think you'll need to constrain the setup a bit more. Take a look at the Wikipedia page on lenses and see if we can work forward from that.

 

[pmmiller14]

apologies on the description. what it was meant to say is that if rays of light are straight before they go through a convex lens would it come out straight or will the light be refracted and bent to make a point? the other one is if the light was already bent to create a point would it come out straight or the same?

 

[aresnick]

Right, it still depends on the positioning of the light. Check out the Wikipedia page on lenses, all the diagrams you're looking for can be found there.

 

[pmmiller14]

ok thank you for your help :)