Converging vs Diverging Lens
Converging lens and diverging lens are one way of classifying lenses based on the behavior of the light affected by the lenses. Both converging lenses and diverging lenses are very important in the understanding of optics and other related fields. A converging lens is a lens that converge a beam of light to a point whereas diverging lenses make beams of light diverge from a single point. Converging lenses and diverging lenses are very important in fields such as optics, astronomy, photometry, physics, photography and various other fields. In this article, we are going to discuss what are converging lenses and diverging lenses, their applications, the behavior of converging lenses and diverging lenses, and finally compare both and highlight the differences between converging lens and diverging lens.
Converging Lens
Converging lens is a type of lens that converge the beams of light from a source. The most common types of converging lenses are the Plano-convex and biconvex lenses. Both of these lenses are basic lens elements.
When a thin collimated (parallel) beam of light which is travelling on the optical axis of the lens is incident on a converging lens, the beam is converged into a point called the focal point of the lens. The source of the parallel beam is known as the object. An image of a point source (object) is produced on the focal point of the lens. The distance between the center of the lens and the focal point is known as the focal length of the lens. The plane, which is normal to the optical axis of the lens and goes through the focal point, is known as the focal plane of the lens.
Any object, which is not a point source, makes image on the focal plane. If the incident beam is not parallel, the position of the image and the orientation of the image depend on the position of the object. The amount of convergence from a converging lens depends on the wavelength of the light, the focal length of the lens, the relative refractive index of the lens material and the position of the object.
Converging lenses can also be produce by combining several simple lenses. These converging lenses are known as compact converging lenses.
Diverging Lens
Diverging lens is a type of lens that diverge the beams of light from a source. For a thin beam of light which is collimated (parallel) and travelling on the optical axis of the lens, the lens diverge the beam of light which appears to come out from a point between the lens and the object.
If the object is in infinity, the diverged beam appears to be emitted from the focal point of the lens.
What is the difference between Converging Lens and Diverging Lens?
- Converging lens converge light beams from a source whereas diverging lenses diverge light rays from a source.
- Most common types of converging lenses are Plano-convex, biconvex and positive meniscus lenses.
- Most common types of diverging lenses are Plano-concave negative meniscus and biconcave lenses.