Lenses> I’m just a lightweight. But seen through a bulging, convex lens, I look huge!
Lenses are curved, <#5381,5><!transparent> (clear) objects. A glass of water is a type of lens. Like curved mirrors, lenses make objects look bigger or smaller by changing the path of light rays. Mirrors reflect rays, changing their direction. Lenses bend rays into new directions. The bent rays enter your eyes, creating an image. Because the light rays are coming from different directions than they were originally, the image appears different from the real object.
Like a convex <#5377,9><!mirror>, a simple convex lens bulges outward on both sides. Unlike a mirror, it allows light to pass through. It bends light rays toward a central focus, and makes objects that are close to the lens seem bigger when we look through it. A magnifying glass is a simple convex lens.
Like a concave <#5377,9><!mirror>, a simple concave lens is dished inwards on both sides. It bends light rays outward, as if they came from a central focus. It makes objects that are close to the lens seem smaller. People who are nearsighted wear glasses with concave lenses.
In the concert, we use lenses with the spotlights to either focus the spots to a smaller area (with a convex lens), or spread the beam out over a wider area (with a concave lens).
