Final answer:
The magnification of the object is 1.33 (virtual and upright) and the image will be located 20 cm from the lens.
Step-by-step explanation:
The magnification of an object placed 15 cm in front of a diverging lens with a focal length of 20 cm can be calculated using the magnification formula for lenses, which is given by m = -di/do, where m is the magnification, di is the image distance, and do is the object distance.
In this case, since the lens is diverging, the image distance will be negative. Plugging in the values, we get m = -(-20 cm)/(15 cm)
= 4/3
= 1.33.
The negative sign indicates that the image is virtual and upright. The positive magnification value indicates that the image is larger than the object.
The image will be located on the same side as the object, at a distance of 20 cm from the lens.