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Optical Instruments: Telescope and Microscope

Optics: Optical instruments

Equipment List

Qty Items Part Numbers

1 Optics Bench, Basic Optics OS-8518
1 Viewing Screen, Basic Optics OS-8518
1 Convex Lens, +100 mm focal length, Basic Optics OS-8518
1 Convex Lens, +200 mm focal length, Basic Optics OS-8518
1 Metric ruler
1 Reference grid (see last page)

Introduction
The purpose of the first part of this activity is to construct a simple telescope and determine its
magnification. The purpose of the second part of this activity is to use the same components to
construct a simple microscope and determine its magnification. Use a viewing screen covered
with a reference grid, an optics bench, and a pair of convex lenses.
Background
A simple astronomical telescope magnifies the image of an object that is far away from the
telescope. The telescope is constructed with two convex lenses. The ray diagram for a simple
telescope’s arrangement of lenses (shown in the drawing) indicates that the image is in the same
plane as the object. Having the image in the same plane as the object allows the distance to the
virtual image to be determined.
di2
Telescope
d01 di1 d02

Object

Image

Lens #1: 200 mm F.L. Lens #2: 100 mm F.L.

For this experiment, it is assumed that the lenses are thin compared to the other distances
involved. In this case the Thin Lens Formula may be used. This equation states:
1 1 1
= +
f d0 d i

where f is focal length, do is the distance between the object and the lens, and di is the distance
between the image and the lens.
The magnification of a two-lens system is equal to the multiplication of the magnifications of the
individual lenses:

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d  
d 
M = M1M 2 =  i1   i 2 
 d01   d02 
A simple microscope magnifies the image of an object that is close to the microscope, and, like
the simple telescope, is constructed with two convex lens. The ray diagram for the arrangement
of lens is virtually the same as for the telescope, but the lens with the shorter focal length is
closer to the object.
di2
Microscope
d01 di1 d02

Object

Image

Lens #1: 100 mm F.L. Lens #2: 200 mm F.L.

For the microscope, the Thin Lens Formula and the formula for the magnification of a two-lens
system still apply.
Setup: Telescope
1. Use a copy of the grid (see the last page) as the object. Fasten the copy of the grid to the
viewing screen. Mount the viewing screen on one end of the optics bench.
2. Mount the 200 mm F.L. lens and the 100 mm F.L. lens on the other end of the bench with
the 200 mm lens nearer to the ‘object’ (the viewing screen).
100 mm Lens
Viewing 200 mm Lens
screen

Procedure: Telescope
1. Put one eye close to the 100 mm lens at the end of the bench (the eyepiece lens). Focus the
image of the object (grid pattern) by moving the 200 mm lens (the objective lens) forward
or backward.
Viewing Eyepiece lens Top view
screen of person
Objective lens

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Eliminate the Parallax

Parallax – an apparent shifting of the image due to the motion
of the observer – occurs if the image is not in same plane as the
object (grid pattern). To observe the parallax, open both eyes
and look through the lens at the image with one eye while
looking ‘around the edge’ of the lens directly at the grid pattern
with the other eye. The lines of the image (solid lines in the
diagram) will be superimposed on the lines of the grid pattern
(dotted lines in the diagram). As you move your head up-and-
down or back-and-forth, the lines of the image may appear to
move relative to the lines of the grid pattern. If the lines move,
it’s due to parallax.
2. To eliminate the parallax, move the eyepiece (100 mm)
lens until the image lines do not shift relative to the
object lines when you move your head.
When there is no parallax, the lines in the center of the lens
appear to be ‘stuck’ to the object lines. Note that even when
there is no parallax, the lines may appear to shift or ‘curve’ near the edges of the lens because of
lens aberrations.
3. With the parallax eliminated, the virtual image is in the plane of the grid pattern. Record
the positions of the two lens and the viewing screen in the Lab Report section.
4. Estimate the magnification of this simple telescope by counting the number of squares in
the grid pattern that lie along one side of one square of the image. To do this, you must
view the image through the telescope with one eye while looking directly at the grid
pattern with the other eye.
5. Record the observed magnification as a ratio in the Lab Report.
6. Determine d01, the distance from the grid pattern to the objective (200 mm) lens and record
the distance.
7. Determine di2, the distance from the eyepiece (100 mm) lens to the image. Since the image
is in the plane of the object, this is just the distance from the eyepiece lens to the grid
pattern on the viewing screen. Record the distance.
Analysis: Telescope
1. Calculate di1 using the value of d01 and the focal length, f, of the objective lens (200 mm)
1 1 1
in the Thin Lens Formula: = + . Record the calculation.
f d0 d i

2. Calculate d02 using the value of di2 and the focal length, f, of the eyepiece lens (100 mm)
in the Thin Lens Formula. Record the results.

d  
d 
3. Calculate the magnification using the magnification formula: M = M1M 2 =  i1   i 2 
 d01   d02 

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4. Calculate the percent difference between the observed (estimated) magnification and the
calculated magnification:
observed
calculated
%diff =  100%
calculated
Extension
Remove the viewing screen and look through the lenses at a distant object such as a meter stick
at the other end of the room. Eliminate the parallax as before and estimate the magnification.
When viewing an object ‘at infinity’ through a telescope, the magnification is the ratio of the
focal lengths of the lenses. Check to see if this is true for your telescope.
Setup: Microscope
1. Use the same basic setup as for the telescope. Mount the viewing screen on one end of the
optics bench.
2. Mount the 100 mm F.L. lens and the 200 mm F.L. lens on the other end of the bench with
the 100 mm lens nearer to the ‘object’ (the viewing screen).
200 mm Lens
Viewing 100 mm Lens
screen

Procedure: Microscope
1. Put one eye close to the 200 mm lens at the end of the bench (the eyepiece lens). Focus the
image of the object (grid pattern) by moving the 100 mm lens (the objective lens) forward
or backward.
2. As before, eliminate the parallax by moving the eyepiece (200
mm) lens until the image lines do not shift relative to the object
lines when you move your head.
3. With the parallax eliminated, the virtual image is in the plane of
the grid pattern. Record the positions of the two lens and the
viewing screen in the Lab Report section.
4. Estimate the magnification of this simple microscope by
counting the number of squares in the grid pattern that lie along
one side of one square of the image. To do this, you must view
the image through the telescope with one eye while looking
directly at the grid pattern with the other eye.
5. Record the observed magnification as a ratio in the Lab Report.
6. Determine d01, the distance from the grid pattern to the objective (100 mm) lens and record
the distance.

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7. Determine di2, the distance from the eyepiece (200 mm) lens to the image. Since the image
is in the plane of the object, this is just the distance from the eyepiece lens to the grid
pattern on the viewing screen. Record the distance.
Analysis: Microscope
1. Calculate di1 using the value of d01 and the focal length, f, of the objective lens (100 mm)
1 1 1
in the Thin Lens Formula: = + . Record the calculation.
f d0 d i
2. Calculate d02 using the value of di2 and the focal length, f, of the eyepiece lens (200 mm)
in the Thin Lens Formula. Record the results.

d  
d 
3. Calculate the magnification using the magnification formula: M = M1M 2 =  i1   i 2 
 d01   d02 
4. Calculate the percent difference between the observed (estimated) magnification and the
calculated magnification:
observed
calculated
%diff =  100%
calculated

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Lab Report: Telescope and Microscope

Name: ________________________________________________________________
Analysis
Data Table
Complete the data table.

Simple Telescope Simple Microscope

Position of Objective Lens Position of Objective Lens
Position of Eyepiece Lens Position of Eyepiece Lens
Position of Viewing Screen Position of Viewing Screen
Observed Magnification Observed Magnification
d01 d01
di2 di2
di1 di1
d02 d02
Calculated Magnification Calculated Magnification
Percent Difference Percent Difference
Questions
1. For the telescope, is the image inverted or erect?

2. For the telescope, is the image real or virtual?

3. For the microscope, is the image inverted or erect?

4. For the microscope, is the image real or virtual?

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Teacher Notes

Time Estimates Preparation: 15 min Activity: 45 min

Objectives
Students will be able to…
• use a pair of convex lens, an optics bench, and a grid pattern mounted on a viewing screen to
construct a simple telescope and then a simple microscope.
• estimate the magnification of the telescope and the magnification of the microscope by viewing the
image of the grid pattern through one of the lens and comparing the image to the actual size of the
grid pattern.
• measure the distances between lens, object (grid pattern), and image and then calculate the
magnification using the Thin Lens Formula and the Magnification Formula.
• compare the observed magnification to the calculated magnification.
Analysis
Data Table (sample)

Simple Telescope Simple Microscope

Position of Objective Lens 37.5 cm Position of Objective Lens 87.5 cm
Position of Eyepiece Lens 0.7 cm Position of Eyepiece Lens 54.9 cm
Position of Viewing Screen 110 cm Position of Viewing Screen 110 cm
Observed Magnification 5:1 Observed Magnification 3:1
d01 72.5 cm d01 22.5 cm
di2 109.3 cm di2 55.1 cm
di1 27.62 cm di1 18.0 cm
d02 9.18 cm d02 14.6 cm
Calculated Magnification 4.54:1 Calculated Magnification 3.02:1
Percent Difference 9.3% Percent Difference 0.6%
Example of Calculations
1. Calculate di1 using the value of d01 and the focal length, f, of the objective lens (200 mm or
1 1 1
20.0 cm for the telescope) in the Thin Lens Formula: = + . Record the calculation.
f d0 d i

1 1 1 d  f 72.5cm  20.0cm 1450cm2

= + ,d i = 0 = = = 27.619 = 27.62cm
f d0 d i d0
f 72.5cm
20.0cm 52.5cm


d  
d 
2. Calculate the magnification using the magnification formula: M = M1M 2 =  i1   i 2 
 d01   d02 


d  
d  
27.62cm  
109.3cm 
M = M1M 2 =  i1   i 2  =  
 d01   d02   72.5cm   9.18cm 
 =
0.38 11.9 = 4.5( )( )

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Questions
1. For the telescope, is the image inverted or erect?
The image is inverted for the telescope.
2. For the telescope, is the image real or virtual?
The image is virtual for the telescope.
3. For the microscope, is the image inverted or erect?
The image is inverted for the microscope.
4. For the microscope, is the image real or virtual?
The image is virtual for the microscope.

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