JAMB Physics 1981 Question 44

Question 44

Lenses and Optical Instruments

In a light experiment with a convex lens a student plotted a graph, shown above (Fig. 6), of the reciprocal of object distance (1/U) against the reciprocal of the image distance (1/V). The focal length of the lens is given by

Diagram for this question
  1. A.slope of the line PQ
  2. B.reciprocal of either OP or OQ
  3. C.length OP or OQ
  4. D.area under the graph
  5. E.ratio OP/OQ.
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: B (reciprocal of either OP or OQ)

Explanation

From 1/U + 1/V = 1/f, each intercept (OP and OQ) equals 1/f, so f is the reciprocal of either intercept.