The Image Maker: a new and effective model for understanding how converging lenses create real images*

Abstract

Traditional instruction in geometric optics does not provide students with a conceptual model of how converging lenses create images. The Image Maker demonstrates that a converging lens brings many pinhole images together into a single, sharp, bright, real image. The “secret” is to pair the pinhole camera (camera obscura) with the Fresnel lens. These demos are more direct, more dramatic, and therefore more effective than traditional approaches. This model prevents/corrects most common student misconceptions