An optical bench is a long, straight platform used in physics labs to arrange and align optical components for experiments. Additionally, it allows precise positioning of items like lenses, mirrors, prisms, light sources, and screens.

Moreover, the bench includes graduated markings for accurate measurement of distances between components.

In optics experiments, it is used to:

Measure the focal length of lenses and mirrors
Study image formation by lenses and mirrors
Set up ray diagrams and verify optical formulas