plano-convex lens

optics

Quick Summary

common lenses (Left) Cross sections of standard forms of common lenses. (Right) Refraction of light by converging and diverging lenses, showing the principal axis, the principal focus (or focal point) F, the focal length f, and the focal plane.

A plano-convex lens is a type of lens used in optics that has one flat surface and one outward-curving (convex) surface. Lenses work by refracting, or bending, light rays. This bending occurs because light travels at different speeds within the lens compared to the surrounding air.1

A plano-convex lens, like other lenses, can form an image of an object by focusing light. The focal point is the point where parallel light rays converge after passing through the lens. These lenses are used in various applications, including eyeglasses and magnifiers. To correct for imperfections in image formation, multiple lenses are often combined into compound lenses for instruments like cameras and microscopes.12

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microscope
Types of magnifiers
…of two simple lenses, usually plano-convex (flat on one side, outward-curved on the other, with the curved surfaces facing each other). This type of magnifier is based upon the eyepiece of the Huygenian telescope, in which the lateral chromatic aberration is corrected by spacing the elements a focal length apart.…
…of two simple lenses, usually plano-convex (flat on one side, outward-curved on the other, with the curved surfaces facing each other). This type of magnifier is based upon the eyepiece of the Huygenian telescope, in which the lateral chromatic aberration is corrected by spacing the elements a focal length apart.…