Chapter 34, Problem 34.108PP

BIO AMPHIBIAN VISION. The eyes of amphibians such as frogs have a much flatter cornea but a more strongly curved (almost spherical) lens than do the eyes of air-dwelling mammals. In mammalian eyes, the shape (and therefore the focal length) of the lens changes to enable the eye to focus at different distances. In amphibian eyes, the shape of the lens doesn’t change. Amphibians focus on objects at different distances by using specialized muscles to move the lens closer to or farther from the retina, like the focusing mechanism of a camera. In air, most frogs are nearsighted; correcting the distance vision of a typical frog in air would require contact lenses with a power of about −6.0 D.

34.108    A frog can see an insect clearly at a distance of 10 cm. At that point the effective distance from the lens to the retina is 8 mm. If the insect moves 5 cm farther from the frog, by how much and in which direction does the lens of the frog’s eye have to move to keep the insect in focus? (a) 0.02 cm, toward the retina; (b) 0.02 cm, away from the retina; (c) 0.06 cm, toward the retina; (d) 0.06 cm, away from the retina.