Two misconceptions about the mechanism of image formation in the human eye are common among students and even in textbooks and other teaching materials. The first attributes all refraction to the eye lens; the second treats the eye as a pinhole camera. To reduce these persistent conceptions of students, a series of simple experiments is presented using a water-filled fishbowl as a model of the eye. The model is used to demonstrate the propagation of light through the eye and the image formation on the retina in normal vision, nearsightedness, and farsightedness. The model also allows visualization of the corrections of malfunctions of the eye.
References
1.
Dyan L.
Jones
and Dean
Zollman
, “Understanding vision: students’ use of light and optics resources
,” Eur. J. Phys.
35
, 1
–17
(2014
).2.
Dyan L.
McBride
and Dean A.
Zollman
, “Applying knowledge in new contexts: A comparison of pre- and post-instruction students
,” AIP Conf. Proc.
1179
, 209
(2009
).7.
Jearl
Walker
, David
Halliday
, and Robert
Resnick
, Fundamentals of Physics
, 10th ed. (Wiley
, Hoboken, NJ
, 2014
), p. 1042
.8.
W. Bruce
Mullin
, “The working of the human eye II
,” Phys. Educ.
1
, 104
–106
(1966
).9.
Giuseppe
Collicchia
, Hartmut
Wiesner
, Christine
Waltner
, and Dean
Zollman
, “A model of the human eye
,” Phys. Teach.
46
, 528
–531
(2008
).10.
Otaviano
Helene
, “A simple model of the human eye
,” Phys. Teach.
48
, 142
(2010
).11.
© 2023 Author(s). Published under an exclusive license by American Association of Physics Teachers.
2023
Author(s)
AAPT members receive access to The Physics Teacher and the American Journal of Physics as a member benefit. To learn more about this member benefit and becoming an AAPT member, visit the Joining AAPT page.