Which lens diverges light?

Which lens diverges light?

• A. Plane mirror
• B. Convex lens
• C. Concave mirror
• D. Concave lens

Answer: (D)

Light is bent (refracted) as it passes through a lens. A concave lens is thinner at the center than at the edges, which makes parallel rays spread out as they pass through. After crossing the lens, those rays appear to come from a point on the same side as the incoming light, so the lens diverges the rays. The other options aren’t lenses that diverge light: a convex lens would bend rays inward to converge on the other side; a plane mirror just reflects light; a concave mirror reflects light and can converge or diverge depending on position, but it’s a mirror, not a lens. So, the concave lens is the one that diverges light.

Light is bent (refracted) as it passes through a lens. A concave lens is thinner at the center than at the edges, which makes parallel rays spread out as they pass through. After crossing the lens, those rays appear to come from a point on the same side as the incoming light, so the lens diverges the rays. The other options aren’t lenses that diverge light: a convex lens would bend rays inward to converge on the other side; a plane mirror just reflects light; a concave mirror reflects light and can converge or diverge depending on position, but it’s a mirror, not a lens. So, the concave lens is the one that diverges light.