# Light

## 08 Lens Formula, Magnification and Power of Lens

#### 8.1 MIRROR FORMULA

Lens Formula: The lens formulagives the relation between image distance, object distance and focal length. The lens formula is given by:

Where

v = image distance
u = object distance
f = focal length

The lens formula is true for all situations with appropriate sign conventions.

#### 8.2 Magnification Produced by Lenses

Similar to the magnification produced by mirrors, magnification produced by lenses is the ratio of height of image to height of object. It can be represented as:

or                =     m    =

$\frac{h2}{h1}$

Where

m = magnification

h2 = height of image

h1 = height of object

The linear magnification produced by a lens is equal to the ratio of image distance to the object distance. That is:

Where

m = magnification

v = image distance

u = object distance

Important notes on magnification:

(i)The positive sign shows that the image is erect and virtual

(ii)The negative sign shows that the image is real and inverted

For a spherical lens, remember for the linear magnification (m):

Virtual positive, real negative.

#### 8.3 POWER OF A LENS

• The power of a lens is a measure of the degree of convergence or divergence of light rays falling on it.
• The power of a lens is defined as the reciprocal of its focal length. It is represented as:

Or

Where P = Power of the lens
And f = focal length of the lens (in metres)

• The unit of the power of a lens is dioptre. It is denoted by ‘D’.
• A concave lens has a negative focal length, so the power of a concave lens is negative.
• Power of convex lens is always positive

#### Next Chapter >

Start your learning Journey !