نمونه ای از کلید واژه های ساده کاربردی برای فیزیک دبیرستان:

Angle of incidence - The angular measure between an incoming light ray striking a surface and the normal (a line perpendicular to that surface).

 Angle of reflection - The angular measure between a reflected light ray and the normal to the reflecting surface. For any surface, the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection. 

 Angle of refraction - The measure between a light ray that has been "bent" by passing through a bounding surface and the normal to this surface.
 

Angstrom - A unit of length, 1 Angstrom = 0.000,000,1 mm. A few thousand of these is a convenient measure of the length of a light wave.

Astigmatism - The aberration in which the horizontal and vertical lines are focused at different points along the optical axis.

Condenser - A set of lenses used in a compound microscope to "gather" light rays and focus them on the sample.

 Focal Length - The distance from a point where an image is formed (the focal point) to a point in or near the lens or lens system. [In the sketch at right, this is labeled FL.]
 
Focal Point - That point where the light rays coming from a distant converge after passing through a lens, coming to a focus and forming an image. [The point FP in this sketch.]

Nanometer - A unit of measurement equaling 0.000,001 mm. Wavelengths of light are measure in nanometers, except occasionally when they are measured in Angstroms. One nanometer is 10 Angstroms.

ive lens - The compound lens system in a microscope or other optical system that first gathers light from the sample and forms the first image. These systems are usually well corrected for aberrations, as any image defect cannot be removed by elements later in the light path, but is only magnified further.

Polarized light - light whose waves are uniformly aligned in one direction.

Prism - A transparent body (made of optical glass) with at least two polished plane faces inclined toward each other from which light is reflected or through which light is refracted.

Real image - An image that can be seen with the eye or can be displayed on a screen.