Question

A diverging lens will produce
A. Always a virtual image
B. Always real image
C. Sometimes real and sometimes virtual
D. None of these

Answer 1

Hint:Go through the basics of image formation by different types of lenses. Check what a diverging lens is and remind all the types of images formed by the divergent lens when the object is placed at different positions with respect to the pole, centre of curvature and focus of the divergent lens.

Complete answer:
A diverging lens is a lens which always diverges rays of light incident on the lens parallel to the principal axis. When the rays of light from an object are incident on the diverging lens in a direction parallel to the principal axis, these rays are diverged from the axis of the lens away from the lens such that the extended ray of these diverged rays meet at the focus of the divergent lens.

These diverged rays of light from the object never meet each other. Hence, the divergent lens cannot form a real image. A virtual image of the object is formed at the focus of the divergent lens. Therefore, the divergent lens will always produce a virtual image.

Hence, the correct option is A.

Additional information:
For the object placed at infinity in front of a divergent lens, a virtual image is formed at the focus which is diminished. For an object placed at a finite distance from the divergent lens, a virtual image is formed between the focus and pole of the lens which is also diminished. If the object is virtual then the image formed by the diverging lens is real.

Note: The students should always keep in mind that a diverging lens is also known as a concave lens. Hence, if the divergent lens in the question is replaced by a concave lens then also the students should answer that the image formed by the concave lens is always virtual.