 a fresnel lens (pronounced   or  ) is a type of compact lens originally developed by french physicist augustin-jean fresnel for lighthouses. the design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design. a fresnel lens can be made much thinner than a comparable conventional lens, in some cases taking the form of a flat sheet. a fresnel lens can capture more oblique light from a light source, thus allowing the light from a lighthouse equipped with one to be visible over greater distances. ==history== the idea of creating a thinner, lighter lens by making it with separate sections mounted in a frame is often attributed to georges-louis leclerc, comte de buffon. the marquis de condorcet (1743â1794) proposed grinding such a lens from a single thin piece of glass. french physicist and engineer augustin-jean fresnel is most often given credit for the development of the multi-part lens for use in lighthouses. according to smithsonian magazine, the first fresnel lens was used in 1823 in the cordouan lighthouse at the mouth of the gironde estuary; its light could be seen from more than  out.watson, bruce. "science makes a better lighthouse lens." smithsonian. august 1999 v30 i5 p30. produced in biography resource center. farmington hills, mich.: thomson gale. 2005. scottish physicist sir david brewster is credited with convincing the united kingdom to adopt these lenses in their lighthouses."brewster, sir david." encyclopÃ¦dia britannica. 2005. encyclopÃ¦dia britannica online. 11 november 2005.[http://libproxy.
French_inventions Lenses Lighthouse_fixtures Solar_thermal_energy