Mammoth Memory

Object distance and image distance

The object distance is the distance of the object to the centre line of the lens. This is denoted by the symbol do.

The image distance (sometimes confused with the focal length) is the distance of the image to the centre line of the lens. This is denoted by the symbol di.

Ray diagram showing the object distance and image distance

With the principal focal length added this would look like:

Ray diagram showing the principal focal length