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Photonics Dictionary

diverging lens

A diverging lens is a type of lens that causes parallel rays of light to spread out or diverge. It is thinner in the center than at the edges and is commonly referred to as a concave lens. The most common shape for a diverging lens is concave, meaning it curves inward, and the surfaces on both sides of the lens curve away from each other.


When parallel rays of light pass through a diverging lens, they refract, or bend, in such a way that they appear to diverge from a virtual point on the opposite side of the lens. The point from which these diverging rays appear to originate is known as the focal point of the diverging lens. In the case of a concave lens, the focal point is virtual and located on the same side as the incident light.

Diverging lenses have various applications in optics, including correcting vision problems such as myopia (nearsightedness). Eyeglasses with concave lenses help to spread out the incoming light rays before they reach the eye, allowing the eye to focus on distant objects more effectively.
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diverging lens

Presented by Dr. Will Williams, Smith College


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