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M = 250/f for magnifiers, (L/f_o)·(250/f_e) factorized for microscopes, f_o/f_e for telescopes.
Execution
Fill in the form, run the tool, and review the result in one place.
Samples
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Tool usage guide
The Optical Magnification Calculator computes the total magnifying power and component factorizations for magnifying glasses, compound microscopes, and telescopes based on standard optical formulas and focal lengths in millimeters.
Background
A quality inspector uses a 50 mm hand loupe to examine gemstone facets.
Problem
Determine the exact visual magnification power provided by the handheld lens.
How to use
Select 'Magnifying glass' as the instrument and set the magnifier focal length to 50 mm.
instrument = magnifier, magnifierFocalMm = 50Outcome
Calculates a magnification power of 5.0× relative to the 250 mm near point.
Background
An instructor is preparing a high-power microscopy lab using standard 160 mm tube length bodies.
Problem
Show students how a 4 mm objective and a 25 mm eyepiece combine into total power.
How to use
Select 'Microscope', enter 4 mm for objective focal length, 25 mm for eyepiece focal length, and 160 mm for tube length.
The calculator uses the standard optical convention of 250 mm (25 cm) as the clear visual near point distance.
Telescope magnification is calculated directly as the ratio of objective focal length to eyepiece focal length (M = f_o / f_e).
All inputs require millimeter (mm) values to match the standard formula scales.
Standard biological microscopes traditionally use a mechanical tube length of 160 mm, which is provided as the default value.
It is the product of the objective magnification (L / f_o) and the eyepiece magnification (250 / f_e).
instrument = microscope, objectiveFocalMm = 4, eyepieceFocalMm = 25, tubeLengthMm = 160Outcome
Displays objective power (40×), eyepiece power (10×), and total magnification (400×).
Background
An observer wants to evaluate planetary magnification using an 800 mm focal length refractor.
Problem
Find the resulting magnification when pairing the telescope with an 8 mm eyepiece.
How to use
Select 'Telescope', set the objective focal length to 800 mm, and enter 8 mm for the eyepiece focal length.
instrument = telescope, objectiveFocalMm = 800, eyepieceFocalMm = 8Outcome
Calculates an optical magnification of 100×.