What type of lenses are used in magnifying glasses?

Magnifying glasses utilize convex lenses, which are thicker at the center than at the edges. When light rays enter a convex lens, they are refracted or bent inward. This convergence of light rays allows the lens to create a larger image of an object placed near it, making it appear magnified. The ability to produce a magnified image is attributed to the lens’s optical properties, as it brings light to a focal point and enhances details that would otherwise be too small to see clearly.

Concave lenses, which diverge light rays, would not provide magnification and instead produce smaller images. Biconcave lenses, being a type of concave lens, behave similarly. Biconvex lenses, while still convex and capable of magnification, refer specifically to lenses that are curved outward on both sides, which is more common in applications such as projectors or lighting systems. However, in everyday use, a standard convex lens is typically what is referred to when discussing a magnifying glass. Thus, the correct answer identifies the most commonly used lens for this purpose.