Partially Covered Lenses and Additive Color Mixing

When doing experimental work of image formation by mirrors and (thin) lenses, it turns out again and again that students often have partially incorrect preconceptions about how the light emerging from an object passes through a lens and how the image is formed on a screen or directly in the eye. To check students' prior knowledge and help get a better understanding of geometrical optics, we decided to start classes with a pre-test to assess their knowledge and understanding. Then we performed a series of experiments (to be described in the paper) with (thin) converging lenses, partially covered with either an opaque screen or with (one or more) color filters. In the end, students' knowledge and understanding were tested again with a post-test. The main goal of the experiments was to convey to students a clearer picture about the image formation, and to help them recognize the fact that every small part of a lens participates in the formation of the whole image.