Diverging Lens - Definition and Characteristics

A lens is an optical device that transmits light by refraction. The incident beam is either converged or diverged, based on the nature of the lens. A collimated beam of light passing through a diverging lens is diverged while emerging. The emerging rays from a diverging lens seem to be spreading from a particular point, located on the axis in front of the lens.

Biconcave or plano concave lenses are diverging lenses. Irrespective of the shape of the lens, all diverging lenses are thicker around the edges and thinner in the center.

The object in cases of a diverging lens is beyond the focal point, and the image is located at the point where the rays appear to diverge. All diverging lenses refract parallel rays, such that they diverge from each other.

Diverging Lens Image Characteristics

The image formed by a divergent lens is virtual. The refracted rays need to be extended back in order to meet. Diverging lenses are called negative lenses, since the focal length of diverging lenses is negative.

The characteristics of the image formed by the diverging lens are summed up below:

• Located on the object's side of the lens
• Image is located between the object and the lens
• A virtual and upright image
• Reduced in size (i.e. smaller than the object)

References

• Lenses – Boston University
• Image Formation with Diverging Lenses – Florida State University
• Converging and Diverging Lenses – Penn State University
• Diverging Lenses – Object Image Relations – the Physics Class room