DP Physics (last assessment 2024)
Syllabus sections »

C.1 – Introduction to imaging

Description

Nature of science:

Deductive logic: The use of virtual images is essential for our analysis of lenses and mirrors. (1.6)

Understandings:

  • Thin lenses
  • Converging and diverging lenses
  • Converging and diverging mirrors
  • Ray diagrams
  • Real and virtual images
  • Linear and angular magnification
  • Spherical and chromatic aberrations

Applications and skills:

  • Describing how a curved transparent interface modifies the shape of an incident wavefront
  • Identifying the principal axis, focal point and focal length of a simple converging or diverging lens on a scaled diagram
  • Solving problems involving not more than two lenses by constructing scaled ray diagrams
  • Solving problems involving not more than two curved mirrors by constructing scaled ray diagrams
  • Solving problems involving the thin lens equation, linear magnification and angular magnification
  • Explaining spherical and chromatic aberrations and describing ways to reduce their effects on images

Guidance:

  • Students should treat the passage of light through lenses from the standpoint of both rays and wavefronts
  • Curved mirrors are limited to spherical and parabolic converging mirrors and spherical diverging mirrors
  • Only thin lenses are to be considered in this topic
  • The lens-maker’s formula is not required
  • Sign convention used in examinations will be based on real being positive (the “real-is-positive” convention)

Data booklet reference:

 

International-mindedness:

  • Optics is an ancient study encompassing development made in the early Greco-Roman and medieval Islamic worlds

Theory of knowledge:

  • Could sign convention, using the symbols of positive and negative, emotionally influence scientists?

Utilization:

  • Microscopes and telescopes
  • Eyeglasses and contact lenses

Aims:

  • Aim 3: the theories of optics, originating with human curiosity of our own senses, continue to be of great value in leading to new and useful technology
  • Aim 6: experiments could include (but are not limited to): magnification determination using an optical bench; investigating real and virtual images formed by lenses; observing aberrations

Directly related questions

Sub sections and their related questions

None