Increasing the size of the font on a computer screen is an example of:

• A. Relative distance magnification
• B. Relative size magnification
• C. Angular magnification
• D. Electronic magnification

Answer: (B)

Enlarging the font on a screen makes the letters themselves bigger while the viewing distance stays the same. That increases the size of the image on the retina because the object is larger, which is relative size magnification. It’s not about changing the angle the object subtends with optical optics (angular magnification), nor about moving the object closer (relative distance magnification). It also isn’t about a dedicated electronic magnifier device, since the key idea here is enlarging the object’s size itself. For reading, this is a common way to achieve magnification by increasing the target size.