| A | B |
|---|
| illuminated | the term describing visible objects that are not a light source |
| luminous | the term describing objects that produce visible light |
| incandescent light | light produced by hot objects |
| fluorescent light | visible light emitted by a phosphor particle when it absorbs energy such as ultraviolet light |
| neon light | light emitted by atoms of certain gases, such as neon, when they absorb and then release energy |
| vapor light | light produced when electrons combine with gaseous metal atoms |
| vaporization | the change of state from a liquid to a gas; includes boiling and evaporation |
| plane mirror | a mirror with a flat surface |
| virtual image | an image through which light does not actually pass |
| concave mirror | a mirror that is curved inward like the inside of a spoon |
| focal length | the distance between a mirror of lens and its focal point |
| focal point | the point on the axis of a mirror or lens through which all incident parallel light rays are focused |
| optical axis | a straight line drawn outward from the center of a mirror or lens |
| real image | an image through which light passes |
| convex mirror | a mirror that is curved outward like the back of a spoon |
| convex lens | a lens that is thicker in the middle than at the edges |
| lens | a curved transparent object that forms an image by refracting light; also the part of the eye that refracts light to focus an image on the retina |
| concave lens | a lens that is thinner in the middle than at the edges |
| cornea | a transparent membrane that protects the eye and refracts light |
| iris | the colored part of the eye |
| pupil | the opening to the inside of the eye |
| laser | a device that produces intense light of only one wavelength and color |
| retina | the back surface of the eye |
| hologram | a piece of film on which an interference pattern produces a three-dimensional image of an object |
| fiber optics | the use of optical fibers (thin, flexible glass wires) to transmit light over long distances |
| polarized light | consists of light waves that vibrate in only one plane (one direction) |
