why do light sources appear to grow in size when out of focus but then shrink back to normal once in focus?
In: Physics
Think about what you’re asking.
“Focus” really just means “is the light going all in one direction or is it spread out”
When I “unfocus” my eyes, a lens, etcetera, instead of seeing the light as coming from a single source, it spreads out.
*The light is still coming from a single source*, what changed is how my lens interacts with that light.
After unfocusing, light rays may spread or diffuse randomly when they hit my eyes.
It *looks like* the light is growing, or maybe *spreading out*.
When the light is in focus, light comes directly through the lens, it doesn’t diffuse or bend. It travels in a straight line from there to here, and thus *looks smaller* so to speak.
Focus sharpens the lenses to a focal point. When it’s out of focus it’s out of a focal point appearing to expand the light across the multiple lenses.
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