Diverging lens ray diagram indicates virtual image formation

Steps:

• Examine ray paths: incident rays diverge after passing through the lens in region X.
• Classify lens: diverging lenses bend light rays outward, causing apparent divergence.
• Locate image: rays appear to originate from a point on the object side, behind the lens.
• Identify image type: virtual image, as it cannot be projected on a screen.

Why D is correct:

• Diverging lenses always produce virtual images, per the lens formula $\frac{1}{f} = \frac{1}{v} + \frac{1}{u}$, where focal length is negative, yielding negative image distance .

Why the others are wrong:

• A: Converging lenses form real images with converging rays, not diverging.
• B: Converging lenses produce virtual images only for objects inside focal point, but rays would not diverge as shown.
• C: Diverging lenses cannot form real images, as rays never actually converge.

Final answer: D