How Magnifying Lenses Work Simply
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Lens Shape
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The lens gets its magnifying power from the shape of the lens. It is a disc with two convex sides. Convex means that the center of the lens is effectively warped outward, similar to a bowl sitting upside down on a table. Because both sides of the lens are convex, the lens has a similar visual effect as looking through a sphere.
What the Lens Does
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The shape of the lens adjusts the path of light passing through it. As it does, the the image behind it becomes distorted. The focus of the lens (the point in line with the center of the lens) appears larger than it does in real life. The lens effectively stretches the image. However, because the lens is designed to only magnify the specific point it is focused on, it does magnify anything seen through the lens' outer rim.
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Effective Use
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Using a magnifying glass is not an exact science. Each lens has a "sweet spot" in terms of how far you should hold it from the object you wish to magnify. As you pull the lens away, the image gets smaller. However, if you place the lens directly on top of the object, you are not giving it room to distort the image. When you approach an object, it will be clear when you find the sweet spot.
Classification
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Lenses are classified based on magnification. Magnification is measured by how many times larger than the actual object, the lens makes it image appear. For example, if a lens has 4x magnification, it literally means, 4 times the size. The magnification you should use depends entirely on the project. Most hand-held magnifying lenses are somewhere between 2x and 10x magnification.
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