prism
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In optics, a (usually) triangular block of transparent material (plastic, glass, or silica) commonly used to ‘bend’ a ray of light or split a light beam (for example, white light) into its component colours. Prisms are used as mirrors to define the optical path in binoculars, camera viewfinders, and periscopes. The dispersive property of prisms is used in the spectroscope.
prism
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In mathematics, a solid figure whose cross-section is the same along its length. When a slice is cut through a prism, the size and shape of the cross-section is always the same. A cube, for example, is a rectangular prism with all faces (bases and sides) the same shape and size. A cylinder is a prism with a circular cross section. The name of a prism is often derived from the shape of its prism, such as a triangular prism and a cuboid.
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