focal length

The distance from the pole (P), or optical centre, of a lens or spherical mirror to its principal focus (F). The focal length of a spherical mirror is equal to half the radius of curvature (f = CP/2). The focal length of a lens is inversely proportional to the power of that lens (the greater the power the shorter the focal length).

Distance from the centre of a lens or curved mirror to the focal point. For a concave mirror or convex lens, it is the distance at which rays of light parallel to the principal axis of the mirror or lens are brought to a focus (for a mirror, this is half the radius of curvature). For a convex mirror or concave lens, it is the distance from the centre to the point from which rays of light originally parallel to the principal axis of the mirror or lens diverge after being reflected or refracted.

With lenses, the greater the power (measured in dioptres) of the lens, the shorter its focal length. The human eye has a lens of adjustable focal length to allow the light from objects of varying distance to be focused on the retina.