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Light beams are bent when they go through a material at an angle. If the direction of travel of the light beam is exactly perpendicular or 90° from the plane of the surface, than the light is not bent. A lens is usually curved on one side. However, exactly in the middle, the surface of the glass is parallel to the flat surface on the other side. So if light enters through the middle, the surface right in the middle will be perpendicular to the path of the light beam. (This works the same for lenses curved on both sides, as in the middle of both sides, the glass surface will be parallel to the opposite side). See this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Lens2.svg If the dashed line in the diagram is the light beam, you can see that where is crosses the lenses, the angle is always 90°. If the dashed line were moved up or down on the page however, the angle wouldn't be 90° anymore, and the light would be bent as it passed through the lens.

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Q: Why light rays move straight through optical centre of lens?
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Related questions

When a ray of light passing through a point in a lens does not undergo deviation?

When it passes through optical centre.


Why light ray move straight through optical center?

as per the law of reflection angle incidence=angle reflection and angle is measured with respect to normal so when it passes from centre its normal,its incident ray, its reflected ray becomes in straight line


What is optical center of a lens?

optic centre is the geometrical centre of the lens the rays of light passing through this point emerges in the same direction without bending.


What is called optical center of a lens?

optic centre is the geometrical centre of the lens the rays of light passing through this point emerges in the same direction without bending.


What allows light to pass through but not in a straight path?

This physical phenomenon is called refraction.


Why is it possible to simplify the number of actual refractions in a lens down to one refraction at a central line through the optical centre?

There are a few reasons why it is possible to simplify the number of actual refractions in a lens down to one refraction at a central line through the optical centre. One reason is that when light passes through a lens, the lens refracts the light in such a way that the light is brought to a focus. The amount of refraction that occurs depends on the curvature of the lens and the index of refraction of the lens material. However, no matter how curved the lens is, the amount of refraction is always the same at the optical centre of the lens. This is because the optical centre is the point on the lens where the light rays passing through the lens are parallel to the principal axis of the lens. Another reason why it is possible to simplify the number of actual refractions in a lens down to one refraction at a central line through the optical centre is that when a lens is rotated about its optical axis, the image formed by the lens does not rotate. This is because the optical centre of a lens is invariant with respect to rotation. This means that it is not necessary to take into account the actual refractions that occur at different points on the lens when calculating the image formation by the lens.


What happens when light passes through glass with the same optical density as air?

Nothing. It continues to travel in a straight line.


What is the use of optical bench?

Optical bench is used for the moving the light in straight away from the photocell.


What is use of optical bench?

Optical bench is used for the moving the light in straight away from the photocell.


What is optical center of lens?

The optical center of the lens is a point on the axis of a lens is the point where any ray passing through this point, the incident part and the emergent part are parallel. It is important for the proper refraction of light.


Can a path of light be bent?

It's a tricky question, and I am answering from the point of view of an interested layman, not a physicist. Light travels on a straight path through space. The interesting reality is that the space around gravitational fields bends.Light travels in a straight path through bent space. Also, light can be transmitted through optical fibers in communications systems, and the light follows the fiber through whatever bends are put into it.


What is marginal rays?

Marginal rays are the light that passes through an optical system that is away from the optical axis.