Prism

المنشور البصري (البرزم)

A transparent optical element with non-parallel flat surfaces inclined at an apex angle that deviates light toward its base without altering the vergence of the wavefront.

Quick Decode

A prism is a transparent optical element with flat surfaces that meet at an angle. It bends light toward its thicker edge, called the base, so an object viewed through it appears shifted toward the apex, or thinner edge. In the usual thin-prism approximation, it changes the direction of light without changing its focusing power.

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References (1)
  1. Keating, M. P. Geometric, Physical, and Visual Optics (2nd ed., Chapter 10) & AAO BCSC Section 3 (Clinical Optics).