OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this lab experiment was to determine the focal length of a convex
lens and a concave length.

MATERIALS
 Optical Bench
 Meter stick Screen
 Lamp (source of light)
Lamp Holders
 Convex Lens (Converging) Object Convex Lens
 Screen
Meter Stick
 Holders ( For lens )
 Object to be illuminated
Optical
Bench

INTRODUCTION
Converging lenses, also known as convex lenses, are lenses that bring together or
converge the light rays that pass through them. They are typically made up of two
spherical surfaces that curve outward. When light passes through a converging
lens, the resulting images formed are real and inverted.

Diverging lenses, or concave lenses, have two inward-curved spherical surfaces.

They cause light to spread out or diverge, resulting in diminished, upright, and
virtual images.

For a converging lens, a beam of parallel rays to the principal axis converges to a
focal point after passing through the lens. The distance from the focal point to the
center of the lens is known as the focal length.

The relationship between the object distance (S), image distance (S'), and focal
length (f) of a lens is given by the lens formula:

1/S + 1/S' = 1/f

Let's consider a scenario where a lens produces a sharp image of a candle at two
different positions. The distance between the object and the image is denoted as D,
and the distance between the two positions of the lens leading to a sharp image is
denoted as d. We can establish the following relationships:

S1 = S2' and S2 = S1'

From the given figure and the above relations, we can derive the following
equations:

S1 + S' = D

S1' - S1 = d

Hence,

S1 = (D - d)/2

S1' = (D + d)/2

Using the thin lens equation, we can express the relationship between the focal
length and the distances as:

1/f = 2/(D - d) + 2/(D + d)

And the focal length can be calculated as:

f = (D^2 - d^2)/4D
PROCEDURE
1. We placed the lens between the light source and the screen on the optical bench.

2. We moved the lens to a position where an image of the object is formed on the
screen.

3. Then, we measure the image-distance and the object distance and recorded all
measurement in a table.

4. We kept the object and the screen fixed, and we moved the lens to a second
position where the image is in focus.

5. We repeated the above steps for different value of D.

6. Finally we calculated the value of the focal length.

DATA RECORDED AND DATA ANALYSIS

DATA RECORDED
The following table is the data collected from the experiment

S. NO D (CM) D (CM) D2 - D 2 4D (CM) (D2 - D2)/4D

(CM2) (CM)

1 50 19.4 2123.6 200 10.6

2 52 22.1 2215.6 208 10.6

3 55 28.5 2212.8 220 10.1

4 57 28.6 2431.0 228 10.7

5 60 32.5 2543.8 240 10.6

DATA ANALYSIS
The following graph demonstrates (D2 - d2) Vs 4D slope which is focal length of the
lens
 2600

2500

2400
D2 - d2 (cm2)

2300

2200

2100

2000

1900
195 200 205 210 215 220 225 230 235 240 245
4D (cm)

According to the graph the slope is calculated as below,

Yf −Yi 2543.8−2123.6
Slope = f = = = 10.51 cm
Xf −Xi 240−200

The precision and the standard error of the data is calculated as following,

Sf =
√( f 1−f ( mean ) ) + ( f 2−f ( mean ) ) +…+(f 4−f ( mean ) ) +(f 5−f ( mean ) )
2 2 2❑

√ N −1
f 1+f 2+ f 3+f 4 + f 5 10.6+10.6+10.5+10.7 +10.6 53
f(mean)= = = = 10.60
5 5 5

Sf =
√ (10.6−10.6 ) +( 10.6−10.6 ) +( 10.5−10.6 ) +(10.7−10.6) +(10.6−10.6)
2 2 2 2 2❑

√ 5−1
Sf= 0.071

Sf 0.071
ꝺf = = ==0.03
√ N √5
So the result is 10.60 ± 0.03
The percentage error is calculated below,

0 .03
* 100 %= 0.0028%
10 .60
Discussion
The focal length of a convex lens is the distance between the center of the lens and
its focus. It represents the degree to which the lens converges light and is a
measure of the lens's optical power. The purpose of our experiment was to
determine the focal length of a convex lens and investigate some of its properties.

In our experiment, we set up an optical bench and arranged the lens, light source,
screen, and lens holder. We first established a fixed distance (D) between the object
and the screen and measured the corresponding distance (d) at which the image
was focused.

We conducted multiple measurements with different values of D, ranging from 50

cm to 60 cm. The resulting focal lengths were calculated using the formula f = (D^2
- d^2) / (4D). The calculated focal lengths for each measurement were as follows:
19.4 cm, 22.1 cm, 28.5 cm, 28.6 cm, and 32.5 cm.

It is important to note that there was some variation in the measured focal lengths,
indicating the presence of experimental error. One possible source of error could be
parallax, where slight inaccuracies occur due to viewing the measurements at an
angle or making errors in determining the focal points.

The average focal length calculated from the measurements was 26.42 cm.
However, the precision of our measurements is reflected in the standard error (Sf),
which was determined to be 0.03 cm. This means that the actual focal length of the
lens is likely to be within the range of 10.60 ± 0.03 cm.

The percentage error, calculated as (Sf / f) * 100%, was found to be 0.28%. This
indicates the relative magnitude of the error compared to the measured focal
length.

Conclusion
In conclusion, our experiment successfully demonstrated the principles of lens
behavior and the calculation of focal length. We confirmed that the focal length
remains constant for a given lens, regardless of the lens's position relative to the
object and screen. Despite potential sources of error, our findings support the
reliability of the lens formula and provide practical knowledge applicable to optics,
photography, and vision correction. This experiment deepened our understanding of
lenses, their properties, and the interaction of light with convex lenses.