What is the formula for lateral chromatic aberration?

What is the formula for lateral chromatic aberration?

• A. CA = (dD)/v (d = distance from OC; D = power; v = Abbe value)
• B. CA = D/v
• C. CA = v/d
• D. CA = D + d

Answer: (A)

Lateral chromatic aberration grows with how strongly the lens bends light, how far you are from the optical center, and how dispersive the lens material is. The off‑axis magnification difference between wavelengths scales with the distance from the center (d) and the lens power (D), and it is reduced by a higher Abbe value (v), which measures dispersion. Putting these together gives CA_lat = (d × D) / v. This means CA increases as you move further from the center or as the lens power increases, and it decreases with a higher Abbe number. The other formulas don’t capture all of these dependencies: omitting d ignores the off‑axis nature of lateral CA, misplacing the ratio misrepresents how dispersion and power interact, and adding d to D doesn’t reflect chromatic dispersion physics.

Lateral chromatic aberration grows with how strongly the lens bends light, how far you are from the optical center, and how dispersive the lens material is. The off‑axis magnification difference between wavelengths scales with the distance from the center (d) and the lens power (D), and it is reduced by a higher Abbe value (v), which measures dispersion. Putting these together gives CA_lat = (d × D) / v. This means CA increases as you move further from the center or as the lens power increases, and it decreases with a higher Abbe number. The other formulas don’t capture all of these dependencies: omitting d ignores the off‑axis nature of lateral CA, misplacing the ratio misrepresents how dispersion and power interact, and adding d to D doesn’t reflect chromatic dispersion physics.