The Behavior of a Hollow Lens: A Reflective Analysis

What determines whether a hollow lens acts as a diverging or converging lens?

Based on the given data, what filling material in the hollow lens and its immersion medium affect its behavior?

Answer:

The behavior of a hollow lens, whether it acts as a diverging or converging lens, is determined by the relative refractive indices of the filling material inside the lens and the surrounding medium in which it is immersed.

When a hollow lens is filled with a substance that has a lower refractive index than the medium it is immersed in, it behaves as a diverging lens. On the other hand, if the filling material has a higher refractive index than the surrounding medium, the lens acts as a converging lens.

In the provided scenario, the options include filling the hollow lens with air, water, or CS2 (with refractive indices of 1.0, 1.33, and 1.6 respectively) and immersing it in different mediums. For example, if the lens is filled with air (1.0) and immersed in water (1.33), it will function as a diverging lens based on the refractive index comparison. Similarly, filling it with water (1.33) and immersing it in CS2 (1.6) will also result in a diverging lens behavior.

It is crucial to note that the behavior of the hollow lens can change if the refractive index of the filling material and the immersion medium are reversed. For instance, if the lens is filled with CS2 (1.6) and immersed in water (1.33), it will act as a converging lens rather than a diverging lens.

Understanding the interplay between the refractive indices of the filling material and the surrounding medium is essential in predicting the optical behavior of hollow lenses and other optical devices.