Lens (optics) facts for kids
A lens is a clear (transparent) object (like glass, plastic or even a drop of water) that changes the way things look by bending the light that goes through it. They may make things appear larger, smaller, or upside-down. Some places lenses are used include spectacles (eyeglasses), contact lenses, cameras, projectors, microscopes, telescopes, magnifying glasses, etc. Each eye also has a lens.
They work by refraction, or the bending of light.
Lenses have three main shapes. Each different shape changes the image (making it bigger or smaller). The three types are:
- Planar: flat
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History
The word "lens" comes from the Latin word for "lentil," because the earliest convex lenses in common use were shaped like the bean.
The oldest written record of lenses is in the ancient Greek play by Aristophanes called "Clouds", where lenses were used with sunlight to make fire.
Galileo Galilei is commonly believed to have used lenses to make the first known refracting telescope. However, he merely adapted and improved a design he learned from Dutch lensmakers such as Hans Lippershey. He was probably the first to use telescopes to make accurate astronomical observations, though.
Related pages
Images for kids
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Lenses can be used to focus light
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Light being refracted by a spherical glass container full of water. Roger Bacon, 13th century
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Lens for LSST, a planned sky surveying telescope
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The position of the focus of a spherical lens depends on the radii of curvature of the two facets.
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Close-up view of a flat Fresnel lens.
See also
In Spanish: Lente para niños
 | Rodolfo Gonzales |
 | Ernesto Galarza |
 | César Chávez |
 | Oscar Zeta Acosta |
