ABSTRACT

Experiment 403 Refraction from a spherical surface: Thin Lens aims to determine the
focal length of a convex lens using two different methods. One is using different locations of
the object and the second is using the graphical method. There are three parts of the
experiment, the first part is determining the focal length of the lens in which the light source
is in an infinite location from the object. The second part is determination of the focal length
using a definite distance assigned in the experiment, and obtaining the image and object
distance which was proven interchangeable. The last part is obtaining the image and object
distance with the same set up as the second part of the experiment and plotting it as points to
be able to get the x and y intercepts. The magnification of image and object size was also
determined.

Sample Computation
Part A.
'
Trial 1: s= ; s =9.7 cm

Ave Focal Length = (9.9+9.7)/2 = 9.8 cm

Since : s= , f =s '

Actual Focal Length = 10 cm

109.8
100
10

'
Trial 2: s= ; s =9.9 cm

error =

Since : s= , f =s '

error =2

Error Analysis and Sources

The error encountered is only human error for the members does not have a very clear
eyesight especially the room was dark therefore the cause of error in the experiment.

Part B.
'
Lens 1: s=100 cm ; s =11.3 cm

f=

(100)(11.3)
100+11.3

f =10.2 cm
error =

10 .210
100
10

error =2

Error Analysis and Sources

Same as the first part the error encountered is only human error for the members does
not see the image that clearly in comparison when lights are turned on.

Part C.
'
100 cm gap: s=26.4 cm ; s =73.6 cm ; h1=11 cm ;

1
=0.01 c m1
'
s

1
1
=0.04 c m ;
s

1
1
'
105 cm gap: s=25.9 cm ; s =79.1 cm ; h1=12.2 cm ; s =0.04 c m ;
1
=0.01 c m1
'
s
'
110 cm gap: s=25.3 cm ; s =84.7 cm ; h1=13.3 cm ;

1
1
=0.04 c m ;
s

1
=0.01 c m1
'
s
xintercept = yintercept =

1
f

1 1 1
1
1
= + '=
+
f s s 0.04 0.01
1
1
=0.05 c m
f
f =20 cm
error =

2020
100
20

error =0

h
s'
m= ; m= 1
s
hO
Position 1:

-2.78 ; 2.75

%diff =1.08

-3.05 ; 3.05

%diff =0

-3.35 ; 3.33

%diff =0.6

Conclusion

In this experiment, it was concluded that a lens is an optical device of circular form
that refracts the light passing through it. It is made from transparent material that is bounded
by two regular surfaces with an index of refraction higher than the surrounding medium. The
lens used was a convex meaning a converging lens which is thicker in the middle and thinner
at the outer edges and it was also known that convex focal length is positive. Convex lenses
have two focal points on both sides. Due to this the resulting focal point will be the same. In
addition, two images were formed in using converging lens namely; the real inverted image
and the virtual erected image. As the experiment was done, the magnification was studied to
be the ratio of the image distance and object distance as well as the image height and the

object height. There is always a distance wherein the image will be as clear as the object in a
definite value of distance. The data obtained in this experiment have very low percentage
error like in part A and B where in the percentage error was only 2% compared to the actual
focal length of the 100 mm lens and a 1.25% error in the 200 mm lens. On part C of the
experiment the results obtained gave no error in comparison to the actual value of the focal
length of a 200 mm convex lens. Lastly, when the magnification was compared in computing

'

it using the equation

higher than 5%.

s
m=
s

and

m=

h1
hO

the percent difference would not even get