Image magnification

p=\dfrac{y}{x}=\dfrac{h_{img}}{h_{obj}}

Result unit: — (dimensionless)

What it describes

How many times larger (or smaller) the image is than the object.

p

magnification

x

object distance

[m]

y

image distance

[m]

h_{img}

image height

[m]

h_{obj}

object height

[m]

Magnification tells how many times larger the image is than the object. A value

|p|>1

means an enlarged image,

|p|<1

— a reduced one.

Lenses, magnifying glasses, microscopes — assessing the size of the image.

An object at a distance of 0.5 m, an image at 0.33 m. Calculate the magnification.

Substitution

y=0.33

x=0.5

Result

p=\dfrac{0.33}{0.5}\approx0.67

(reduced image).

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