Maybe you have seen advertisements on the Internet, maybe some of your friends or relatives own one or you are simply curious and want to explore the world around you and have wondered how can a magnifying glass help you and why should you buy one. To give you a hand, we have listed some of the reasons why you need one and how it can assist you.
A magnifying glass is made out of a convex lens, which produces a magnified image of an object. To provide easy use, this optical device comes with a handle; it has become an icon of detective stories, and it is the most commonly used symbol by Internet search engines. There are many ways one can use a magnifying glass, so it is not surprising that the item is extremely popular.
This very old item was invented in Europe more than 750 years ago. These days, it comes in as many models and sizes as you can think of, each with a different use and some feature the most modern and innovative technologies. They are used by jewelers, those with vision problems, photographers, doctors and professionals for which details matter the most.
If you are searching for a reason to buy a magnifying glass, the first thing to consider is how you are going to use it in your house. Most people use them as hobby aids, around their home. What some forget is that magnifying glasses are the essential survival tool when going out in the woods; they can be used to start a fire without a lighter, making them an indispensable item for outdoor enthusiasts.
The convex lens can be used to focus sunlight onto a small surface even in cloudier days, so starting a fire with magnifying glasses is pretty easy. All you have to do is find some tinder (for example, newspapers are easily combustible) and a small piece of wood or some dried grass. Build a small heap and concentrate the sunlight on the bottom, until you see a little bit of smoke coming out. Blow air into the fire and, in no time, you will have a way of keeping yourself warm or of cooking something.
Magnifying glasses are also used to create spectacular jewelry and works of art. The convex lens refracts light rays, making them converge and then tricking your eyes into perceiving details that, without the aid of such a device, you would easily pass by. As light travels to the viewer’s eyes, the rays move on parallel trajectories; after they have passed through the lens, they are bent and forced to converge, creating a virtual image that appears larger than the real object.
Thanks to this, details come out, and craftsmen can create amazing works of art. Expensive jewelry that features a lot of details is often made this way, as well as works of art and fine mechanisms. Besides, since in the older times symbols and codes were hidden in works of art, usually in a very small font, historians are surely enthusiast users of magnifying glasses since these can reveal things you have never seen before in a painting or sculpture.
Collectors will surely find a use for them because serials are engraved, and the letters or numbers are far too small to read with the naked eye, this being the moment when one can benefit from a convex lens.
There is a lot to explore around your home. The world is far bigger than you can see, and the details too small to notice with the naked eye are part of it as well. Exploring your surroundings and learning about the many things within reach is another reason for owning a magnifying glass.
The possibilities are limitless, and you have to make the most of your time, so purchasing a magnifying glass is justified even as a hobby. And, speaking about hobbies, if you are into building models on a small scale, such a device should not be missing from your toolbox.
Ship or airplane modeling will be easier and a lot more entertaining once you can observe all the details and your work will be even more accurate and similar to the real-life model if you use a convex lens while putting the pieces together. For these professionals, manufacturers also create loupes, devices which consist of three different magnifying lenses mounted in a cylinder and working almost like a microscope.
Magnifying glasses are commonly found as scientific and medical tools too. Mounting them on stands creates a microscope, and using more lenses increases its power, making it useful when studying cells and other biological structures. High-quality devices are also used by amateur chemists too.
Doctors can find such products useful too, microscopes being used for medical research and teaching purposes. There are some models that can be attached to smartphone cameras, showing you details that have always been hidden to the naked eye. Such products are more useful for teachers since they are cheap but produce quality images that can be used to show students a world they have never seen before.
Another common use for magnifying glasses is as vision aiders. Helping people with vision problems is the main reason behind their invention, back in the thirteenth century. Eyeglasses sometimes employ convex lenses as well to make objects appear larger than they are or to correct nearsightedness.
Older people who still go to work and have to read old or poorly printed documents will surely find such a device useful, while researchers who have to study ancient writings surely own optical devices that make objects appear bigger than they are.
These are the main reasons why you should buy a magnifying glass. These items are not only fun to use but also educational, revealing a whole new world to your children. Older people will also find them useful especially when repairing old electronic devices that require precision operations and attention to detail.
Biologists will observe cells and other structures easier, while jewelers can create more intricate and detailed works, impressing the buyers with their skill and art. Other reasons for buying a new magnifying glass can also be found, so go and find one to your liking and start exploring the environment around you.
Bibliography:
1) How does a magnifying glass work?
2) What is a magnifying glass?
3) The Physics of Magnifying Glasses
4) The earliest magnifying glasses
