The focal length of a thin biconvex lens is 20 cm. When an object is moved from a distance of 25 cm in front of it to 50 cm, the magnification of its image changes from m25 to m50. The ratio is
This question involves calculating the ratio of magnifications for a lens at two different object positions. Let's break it down step by step.
A biconvex lens is a converging lens. The lens formula relates the object distance (u), image distance (v), and focal length (f):
Magnification (m) is defined as the ratio of the height of the image to the height of the object and is also given by:
Note: According to the sign convention, for a convex lens, the focal length (f) is positive, and the object distance (u) is negative. Therefore, we will use , , and .
Step 1: Find the image distance (v₁) when u = -25 cm.
Using the lens formula:
Substitute the values:
Find a common denominator (100):
Therefore, .
Now, calculate the magnification m₂₅:
Step 2: Find the image distance (v₂) when u = -50 cm.
Using the lens formula again:
Substitute the values:
Find a common denominator (100):
Therefore, .
Now, calculate the magnification m₅₀:
Step 3: Find the ratio m₂₅ / m₅₀.
We have and .
The ratio is:
Final Answer: The ratio is .
Lens Formula: The fundamental equation for thin lenses is , where is the focal length, is the image distance, and is the object distance. Remember to use the sign convention (u is negative for real objects).
Linear Magnification: It is given by , where is the image height and is the object height. A negative value indicates an inverted image.
Converging Lens Behavior: A biconvex lens is converging. For a real object placed beyond the focal point (u > f), it forms a real and inverted image. As the object moves away from the lens, the image moves closer to the focal point and becomes smaller, which is why the magnification changes.