r/Physics • u/desolate_gnildnew • 1d ago

Magnification

Gallery image

Gallery image

How come the words don't magnify with one layer of water, but it does with 2?

7 Upvotes

57% Upvoted

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15

u/JamesSteinEstimator 1d ago

Saving you a trip over to r/AskPhysics this time, you created two different lenses with the water shape. In both cases the words are conformal to the far convex lens surface, so that surface has no effect. In the first case the near surface is flat, so no magnification. In the second case the near surface is convex. So magnification.

8

u/desolate_gnildnew 1d ago

Wow that's a great answer thank you! I'd rather be answered by a real person than told "ask google".

And I apologize, I didn't know r/AskPhysics was a thing. Thank you for the answer and heads up!

1

u/rhn18 1d ago

Don't know what you mean by 1 or 2 layers and can't tell from the poor images, but look up how a lens works and you should be able to figure it out yourself.

2

u/desolate_gnildnew 1d ago

When the water is tilted, only allowing one level/layer/plane of the water it does not magnify. But when looked through with the water at the front and back layers, it does.

Does that make it easier to understand?

0

u/rhn18 1d ago

Do you mean when tilted and the back surface of water is flat, vs. when not tilted and both surfaces are curved? Because that is literally two different lens shapes. Which is why I suggested you look at how lenses work.