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Physics LibreTexts

2.6: Magnification

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Magnification is, of course, defined as

Magnification=Image space heightObject space height.

Strictly speaking, this is the linear transverse (or lateral) magnification. There are other “sorts” of magnification, such as angular magnification and longitudinal magnification, but we shan’t deal with these just yet, and the term “magnification” will be assumed to mean the lateral linear magnification.

I now assert without proof, (but I shall prove later) that the magnification can be calculated from

Magnification=Inital space convergenceFinal space convergence=C1C2.

Sign convention

  • If the magnification is positive, the image is erect
  • If the magnification is negative, the image is inverted

This page titled 2.6: Magnification is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Jeremy Tatum via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.

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