GCSE Physics for You, Fifth Edition

Answers to End-of-chapter questions for Chapter 26, Lenses

It is very important that you are able to answer the questions on your own, using your
own knowledge of Physics.
Have a go at the questions first, and then check your answers using this page.
If you get a question wrong, try to work out where you have made an error.

1. a) converges, diverges
b) principal focus; principal focus
c) strong, short
d) object
e) away from, principal focus; smaller

2. [See page 198.]

The top two diagrams: In both diagrams the rays will converge to a point, but
the fat lens will have a shorter focal length.
The middle diagrams: In the left-hand diagram the light will continue in a
straight line (see page 200). In the right-hand diagram the light will emerge from
the lens as parallel rays.
The bottom diagrams: In the left-hand diagram the bottom ray of light will
continue as a straight line; the upper two rays will cross this central ray at the
same point (the principal focus). In the right-hand diagram the rays will diverge
from the principal focus (see page 198).

3. a) Hold the lens so that light from a distant object falls onto a piece of paper
held behind the lens. Move the lens so that the image of the distant object is
well focussed on the paper. The distance from the lens to the paper is the
focal length of the lens (see page 199).
b) The convex lens in your eye will focus the intense light from the Sun onto the
retina at the back of your eye (see page 204). This is very likely to cause
burning and damage the retina permanently.
c) The bottom of the bottle is shaped like a convex lens. The intense light from
the Sun could be focussed by this lens and could set wood or leaves alight.

4. The Professor’s first lens is a concave lens – these produce only diminished images.
The Professor’s second lens is a convex lens, but he needs to hold it closer to the
knife so that the knife is within the focal length of the lens to get a magnified and
upright image.

OUP GCSE Physics for You, Fifth Edition © Keith Johnson & Sue Holt, 2016 page 1 of 2
GCSE Physics for You, Fifth Edition

5. The shape of a prism means that light bends in the same direction at each surface.
When the prism is above the centre of the lens, light bends downwards at both
surfaces; when the prism is below the centre of the lens, light bends upwards at
both surfaces.
The effect is similar for a diverging lens, but for prisms above the centre of the lens
the light will bend upwards at both surfaces; for prisms below the centre, light
bends downwards at both surfaces.

6. See page 200 for the constructions to use.

The image is 7.5 cm away from the lens on the opposite side to the object; it is
2 cm high (diminished), real and inverted.

7. a) 100 cm, 60 cm, 40 cm, 30 cm, 24 cm

b) The graph should be a curve of negative gradient, becoming less steep with
increasing values of image distance (showing that as the object distance
increases, the image distance decreases).
c) 26 cm (25.7 cm)
d) 25 cm
e) The object and image distance equal each other at 40 cm; so the
focal length = 20 cm.

OUP GCSE Physics for You, Fifth Edition © Keith Johnson & Sue Holt, 2016 page 2 of 2