Flashcards for Physics: Kinematics and Geometric Optics

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary and definitions related to lenses, optical principles, and vision in physics.

Lens

A transparent material that focuses or spreads light.

Diopter

Each side of a lens that separates two transparent media.

Converging Lens

A lens that converges or focuses light, typically thickest in the middle.

Diverging Lens

A lens that is thinner in the middle and spreads out light, typically concave.

Primary Focus (F)

The point where incident rays must pass to be refracted parallel to the principal axis.

Secondary Focus (F')

Point of intersection of rays traveling parallel to the principal axis after refraction.

Focal Length (f)

Distance between the optical center and one of its principal foci; positive for converging lenses and negative for diverging lenses.

Optical Power

The ability of a lens to bend light, expressed in diopters.

Thin Lens

A lens with negligible thickness compared to the radii of curvature, used in ray diagrams.

Magnification (M)

Ratio of the height of the image to the height of the object.

Myopia

A condition where distant objects are blurred because light is focused in front of the retina.

Hyperopia

A condition where nearby objects are blurred because light is focused behind the retina.

Presbyopia

Age-related condition where the eye's ability to focus on near objects decreases.

Compound Lens

A lens system created by combining two or more simple lenses with a common axis.

Refractive Index

A measure of how much light is bent when entering a material, affecting the lens's optical power.

Principal Ray Diagram

A graphical representation used to trace the paths of light rays through a lens to determine image characteristics.