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Lenses

Lenses are curved pieces of glass or plastic that bend light to make things look bigger, smaller, or clearer.

Think of it this way

A glass of water on the table can bend light. Put a straw in the glass and look from the side. The straw looks broken or shifted where it meets the water. A lens works the same way — curved glass bends light rays, making objects look larger or closer.

Explaining lenses by grade level

Hold a pair of glasses up to a page. The words look bigger or smaller. That happens because the curved glass bends the light before it reaches your eyes. Each curve changes how much the light bends.

Projects that explore lenses

Eyeglasses and Light Bending

Hold a pair of glasses at arm's length and look through them at a distant object. Nearsighted lenses make the view look smaller. Farsighted lenses make it look bigger or even upside down. Each lens bends light a different way to fix a different problem. Glasses for astigmatism stretch and twist the view because they correct a cornea that is an unusual shape.

Easy