EXPERIMENT 3

AM
1
Tofind.the focal length of a convex lens by plotting graphs between uand vor between and .
APPARATUS
An optical bench with three uprights(central upright fixed, two outer uprights with lateral movement), a
Contexlens with lens holder, two optical needles, (one thin, onethick) a knitting needle and a half metre seale.

THEORY
The relation between u, v and f for a convex lens is.
1 1 1 1
f ’ f=
whore. f= focal length of convex lens
u= distance of object needle from optical centre of the lens
P= distance of image needle from optical centre of the lens.
Note. According to sign-convention, uhas negative value and v has positive value. Hence, fcomes positive.
RAY DIAGRAM

2F F
A
A
2F C
Object Image
Needle Needle
D

Fig. Focal length of convex lens.

PROCEDURE
To determine rough focal length
I. Mount the concave mirror in mirror holder.
. Go out in the open and face the mirror towards distant tree or building.
0. Obtain the image of the tree or the building on a white painted wall (screen) and move the mirror forward
and backward toget a sharp image on the wall.
. Measure the distance between the mirror and the wall (screen). This will be equal to the rough focal
of the mirror. length
To set the
lens
d. Clamp the holder with lens in a fixed upright and keep the upright at 50 cm mark.
D. Adjust the lens such that its surface is vertical and perpendicular to the length of the
optical bench.
Keep the upright fixed in this position throughout.

65
 COMPREHENSIVE PHYSICs
66

Toset the object needle

ACTIVITIES VOL. L
laterally
8. Take the thin optical needle as object needle (0). Mount it in outer moveable upright near
end. zet
9. Move the object needle upright and clamp it at a distance (in full cms) nearly 1.5 times the obtained
focal length of the lens.
10. Adjust height of the object needle to make its tip lie on horizontal line through the optical centre of
lens.
11. Note the position of the index mark on the base of the object needle upright.
To set the image needle
With leftimage
12. enlarged eye closed, see with the right open eyefrom the other end of the optical bench. An
of the object needle will be seen. Tip of the image must lie in the middle ofh inverted and
13. Mount the thick optical needle (image needle) in the fourth upright near the other end of the e
bench.
14. Adjust the height of the image needle so that its tip is seen in line with the tip of the image when seen w
right open eye.
15. Move the eye towards right. The tips will get separated. Theimage tip and the image needle tip hav:
parallax.
16. Remove the parallax tip to tip.
17. Note the position of the index mark on base of the image needle upright.
18. Record the position of the index marks on the base of upright of the lens, the object needle and the inea.
needle in the table against observation 2.
To determine index correction
19. Find the index correction for distance between optical centre of lens and tip of the object needle and als
for distance between optical centre of lens and tip of the image needl as described.
To get more observations
20. Move object needle upright towards mirror in steps of 1 cm to get observation 2 and 1. Repeat the exper:
ment.
21. Move object needle upright away from mirror (from position of observation 2) in
steps of 1 cm to ge!
observations 4, 5 and 6. Repeat the experiment.
22. Record all the observations as given ahead.
(Note. Same as in Experiment 1).
OBSERVATIONS
Rough focal length of the given convex lens Cm
Actual length of the knitting needle X=...... Cmm
Observed distance between the object needle and the lens
when knitting needle is placed between them
y=...... Cm
Observed distance between the image needle and the
lens when knitting needle is placed
between them Cm
Index correction for the object
distance u, t-y= Cm
Index correction for the image
distance, u, X-Z=... cm
EXPERIMENTS 67

1 1
Table for u, v; and
V

Position of
Observed Corrected
Serial distance distance
1
No. of Object Lens
Obs. needle
Image
needle
OA =u 0C=u
A
(cm) (cm) (cm) (cm)
(2a) (cm) (cm) (cm) (cm-!) (cm-)
(1) (2%) (2c) (3a) (36) (4a) (46) (5) (6)
1
2.
3
4
5.
6

CALCULATIONS
Calculations of focal length by graphical methods.
()u-v Graph. Select a suitable but the same
scale to represent u along X-axis and v along GRAPH BETWEEN u ANDv
I-axis. According to sign conventions, in this case, Scale
uis negative and vis positive. Plot the various points X'-axis:1 cm =.... cm of u
for different sets of values of u and v from Y'-axis:1 cm cm of v
observation table second quadrant. The graph comes
out to be a rectangular hyperbola as shown in
graph between u and u.
Draw a line OA making an angle of 45 with
either axis (ie., bisecting Y0X) and meeting the
curve at point A. Draw AB and AC perpendicular
on X- and Y-axes,
respectively.
The values of u and u will be same for
v (cm)
point A. Sothe coordinates of point A must be (2f,
2{}, because for a convex lens, when u= 2f, V= 2f.
Hence, AB = AC=2f or 0C =OB = 2f 45
X
OB
f= 2
and f= 2 u(cm)
.: Mean value of f =.... cm

Fig. Graph between u and v. It is a rectangular hyperbola.

 COMPREHENSIVE PHYSICS
68 ACTIVITIES VOL
GRAPH BETWEEN AND
1
i) and
1
Graph. Sclect a suitable but Scale :
cm- of 1
1 X'-axis:1 cm=
along X-axis and
the same scale to represent cm-of 1
Y-axis:1 cm =
1
1 isnegative
along Y-axis. By sign conventions
1 for
and is positive. Plot the various points
1 1
different sets of values of and from the
1
observation table. The graph comes out to be a (cm'
1
straight line as shown in graph between and
The straight line cuts the two axes OX and P
OY at an angle of 45° at points P and Q,
respectively and making equal intercepts on the (cm')
axes. Measure the distance OP and OQ.
1
Then focal length, f= OP 0Q 1 1
Fig. Graph between and It is a straight line.

Explanation
Same as for concave mirror.
(ii)Another u-v Graph. Select a suitable but the same scale to represent u along X-axis and valon
Y-axis. Mark the points at distances u,, Ug, Ugy etc.along the OX-axis and the corresponding points at distanc:
U,. C', Ug ..ete. along OY-axis for different sets of observations from the table.
Draw straight lines joining u,with v,;u, with v,; u, with Vsj ...etc. These lines willintersect at point K
shown in the following graph.
Draw KL and KM perpendiculars on X- and Y-axes, respectively.
YA
GRAPH BETWEEN uANDv
Scale :
X-axis:1 cm = cm of u
Y'-axis :1cm = .... cm of v
(cm)

K(-f.) M

X
451
-Ug - u, - U, L X
-u (cm)

Fig. Graph between u andu.

EXPERIMENTS

Then
f= 0L= 0M
CIm.

Explanation
mirror.
Same as for concave the six sets of observations
Note. It will be better to choose any four suitable sets of (u, v) from the observation table. All
may
conmplicate the graph.
RESULT
The focal length of the given convex lens as determined from:

1. focal length, f=

2. (u -v)graph Cm

3 raph =...... Cm

4. (u - v) graph
=...... Cm.
and
PRECAUTIONS
height as the centre of the lens.
1. Tips of the object and image needles should lie at the same
distance at least 30 cm away from the
2. Parallax should be removed from tip to tip by keeping eye at a
needle.
inverted image of it is formed.
3. The object needle should be placed at such a distance that only real,
4. Index correction for u and v should be applied.
SOURCESOF ERROR
1. The uprights may not be the vertical.
2. Parallax removal may not be perfect.