Question

What type of single lens produces a virtual image that is inverted with respect to the object?

Answer 1

There is no single lens that creates a virtual, inverted image. Convex lenses can produce real, inverted images, and concave lenses only produce virtual, upright images. The original question contains a contradiction as virtual images formed by lenses are not inverted.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student has asked about a phenomenon in optics, specifically regarding the type of lens that produces an inverted virtual image. According to the information provided, concave (diverging) lenses always produce a virtual image (case 3), and these images are upright and smaller than the object. Therefore, no single thin lens can produce a virtual image that is inverted; virtual images are always upright when formed by lenses. If an inverted image is observed, it must be a real image, which can be produced by a convex (converging) lens when the object is farther than the focal length from the lens.

However, the student's original question contains a contradiction because virtual images cannot be inverted as they are always upright. The typical scenario in optics is that convex lenses can produce real, inverted images or virtual, upright images, and concave lenses always produce virtual, upright images.

Answer 2

No single lens type produces a virtual image that is inverted; a concave lens always produces a smaller, upright virtual image, while a convex lens creates an upright virtual image when the object is very close to the lens.

Step-by-step explanation:

The type of single lens that produces a virtual image which is inverted with respect to the object does not exist based on standard lens behavior. Typically, a single diverging (concave) lens produces a virtual image that is upright and smaller than the object (case 3 image). On the contrary, a single converging (convex) lens can produce a virtual image that is upright and larger than the object, when the object is placed closer to the lens than its focal length (case 2 image).

Real images, which can be projected and are always inverted, can be formed by a convex lens when the object is farther than the focal length from the lens. Virtual images are not projected and are on the same side of the lens as the object. It is important to note that real images formed by a convex lens can be both larger or smaller than the object—and always on the opposite side of the lens.