Magnifying Glass
Contents
Key Stage 1
Meaning
A piece of equipment used to make very small things look bigger.
About Magnifying Glasses
- A magnifying glass can be used to look more closely at small things to find out more about them. : The magnifying glass makes things look bigger than they actually are. This is called 'magnifying'.
Examples
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| A scientist used a magnifying glass to make the insect look bigger. | A scientist magnified the image of the flower. |
Note for Teachers
Be careful not to use the phrase 'zoom in'. To zoom in is to make something appear closer. A Magnifying glass is not for zooming in, it is for making something appear bigger which is to magnify. Students in KS3 and KS4 often use the word zoom when they mean magnify and lose marks in their exams.
Key Stage 2
Meaning
A magnifying glass is a scientific tool used to magnify the image of small objects.
About Magnifying Glasses
- A magnifying glass can be used to look more closely at small things to find out more about them. : The magnifying glass makes things look bigger than they actually are. This is called 'magnifying'.
Key Stage 3
Meaning
A magnifying glass is a convex lens used to magnify the image of a small object.
About Magnifying Glasses
- A magnifying glass magnifies the image of an object close to the lens.
- A magnifying glass makes distant objects appear smaller and upside down.
Key Stage 4
Meaning
A magnifying glass is a convex lens used to magnify the image of a small object.
About Magnifying Glasses
- The image seen through a magnifying glass is a virtual image.
- An object closer to the magnifying glass than its focal length will appear the right way up and magnified.
- An object further from the magnifying glass than its focal length will appear diminished and inverted.