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Created 6/11/17. Updates available online.

Geometric Optics

Geometric Optics Screenshot
  • Refraction
  • Lens
  • Optics

About

Topics

  • Refraction
  • Lens
  • Optics

Description

How does a lens form an image? See how light rays are refracted by a lens. Watch how the image changes when you adjust the focal length of the lens, move the object, move the lens, or move the screen.

Sample Learning Goals

  • Explain how an image is formed by a converging lens using ray diagrams.
  • How changing the lens (radius, index and diameter) effects where the image appears and how it looks (magnification, brightness and inversion.
Version 2.05

For Teachers

Teacher-Submitted Activities

Title Gold Star Contribution Contribution by PhET Authors Level Type
Concept questions for Physics using PhET (Inquiry Based) A gold star indicates high-quality, inquiry-based activities that follow the PhET design guidelines. This contribution was designed by PhET. Trish Loeblein UG-Intro
HS		 MC
Wave unit (Inquiry Based) A gold star indicates high-quality, inquiry-based activities that follow the PhET design guidelines. This contribution was designed by PhET. Trish Loeblein UG-Intro
HS		 Demo
Lab
Wave clicker questions (Inquiry Based) A gold star indicates high-quality, inquiry-based activities that follow the PhET design guidelines. This contribution was designed by PhET. Trish Loeblein UG-Intro
HS		 CQs
Images from Convex Lenses (Inquiry Based) A gold star indicates high-quality, inquiry-based activities that follow the PhET design guidelines. This contribution was designed by PhET. Trish Loeblein HS CQs
Lab
Exploring Converging Lenses A gold star indicates high-quality, inquiry-based activities that follow the PhET design guidelines. Elyse Zimmer HS Lab
How do PhET simulations fit in my middle school program? This contribution was designed by PhET. Sarah Borenstein MS Other
Alignment of PhET sims with NGSS This contribution was designed by PhET. Trish Loeblein HS Other
MS and HS TEK to Sim Alignment Elyse Zimmer HS
MS		 Other
Convex and Concave Lens Lab Kristin Michalski HS Lab
Lens Inquiry Jeff Drach HS
MS		 Guided
Geometric Optics Amy Jordan HS Lab
Optics Online Scott McCurdy MS
HS		 Lab
CQs
HW
Demo
Lens Equation Experiment using Excel Ed Chomka HS Lab
Ray Optics PhET Lab Chris Bires HS
UG-Intro		 Lab
Lenses and their Images Stephan Graham, Mr. Cory Gaines HS Lab
Vergroting en verkleining Zakaria Abdelmalek HS HW
Oefenen lenzenformule en construeren beeld Vincent de Mol HS Other
oefenen met lenzenformule Stephan Berendsen HS Lab
Simulações no Ensino de Fisica Carla Tavares HS HW
Discuss
Other
Lab
MC
Demo
Guided

Share an Activity!

Translations

Language Download or Run Tips
Albanian All shqip Run now geometric-optics
Arabic All العربية Run now هندسة البصريات
Basque All Basque Run now Optika Geometrikoa
Belarusian All беларускі Run now Геаметрычная оптыка
Bosnian All Bosanski Run now Geometrijska optika
Bulgarian All български Run now Геометрична оптика
Chinese (Simplified) All 中文 (中国) Run now 几何光学
Chinese (Traditional) All 中文 (台灣) Run now Geometic Optics 幾何光學
Croatian All hrvatski Run now Optička Klupa
Czech All čeština Run now geometric-optics
Danish All Dansk Run now Geometrisk optik
Dutch All Nederlands Run now geometric-optics
Estonian All Eesti Run now geomeetriline optika
Finnish All suomi Run now Geometrinen optiikka
French All français Run now Optique géométrique
Galician All Gallegan Run now Óptica Xeométrica
Georgian All Georgian Run now გეომეტრიული ოპტიკა
German All Deutsch Run now Geometrische Optik
Greek All Ελληνικά Run now geometric-optics
Hebrew All עברית Run now אופטיקה גאומטרית
Hungarian All magyar Run now Optika: gyűjtőlencse
Indonesian All Bahasa Indonesia Run now Optika Geometrik
Italian All italiano Run now Ottica geometrica
Japanese All 日本語 Run now 幾何光学(Geometric Optics)
Kannada All Kannada Run now ದ್ಯುತಿ ವಿಜ್ಞಾನ
Kazakh All Kazakh Run now Геометриялық оптика
Khmer All Khmer Run now អុបទិច​ធរណីមាត្រ
Korean All 한국어 Run now 기하광학
Kurdish (Turkey) All Kurdish (Turkey) Run now Ronakzaniya Endazeyî
Latvian All Latviešu Run now Ģeometriskā optika
Lithuanian All Lietuvių Run now Geometrinė optika
Macedonian All македонски Run now Геометриска оптика
Marathi All मराठी Run now पकाशीय भूमिती
Mongolian All Mongolian Run now Геометр оптик
Persian All فارسی Run now نور هندسی
Polish All polski Run now Optyka geometryczna
Portuguese All português Run now geometric-optics
Portuguese (Brazil) All português (Brasil) Run now Ótica Geométrica
Romanian All română Run now Optica Geometrică
Serbian All Српски Run now Геометријска оптика
Slovak All Slovenčina Run now Geometrická optika
Slovenian All Slovenščina Run now geometric-optics
Spanish All español Run now geometric-optics
Spanish (Mexico) All español (México) Run now Geometría óptica
Spanish (Peru) All español (Perú) Run now Óptica Geométrica
Swedish All svenska Run now Geometrisk optik
Thai All ไทย Run now ทัศนศาสตร์เชิงเรขาคณิต
Turkish All Türkçe Run now Geometrik Optik
Turkmen All Turkmen Run now Geometriki optikasy
Ukrainian All українська Run now Геометрична оптика
Uzbek All Uzbek Run now Geometrik optika
Vietnamese All Tiếng Việt Run now Quang hình

Software Requirements

Windows Macintosh Linux
Microsoft Windows
XP/Vista/7
Macromedia Flash 9 or later
OS 10.5 or later
Macromedia Flash 9 or later
Macromedia Flash 9 or later

Credits

Design Team Third-party Libraries Thanks To
  • Michael Dubson (developer/lead)
  • Kathy Perkins
  • Interviewer: Mindy Gratny
  • Interviewer: Danielle Harlow
English
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