What does 'Equivalent to 1.6x the focal length of the lens' mean?

Question

In the specifications of Canon 550D, about the lens the following is mentioned

LENS
Lens Mount      EF/EF-S
Focal Length    Equivalent to 1.6x the focal length of the lens

Now this is really confusing. Why is the focal lenth 1.6 times the focal length of the lens?

I thought the focal length of the lens was the focal length of the lens!

Answer

This is just their ultra confusing way of dealing with a crop factor field of view. It just means that a lens mounted on the 550D will have a field of view equivalent to 1.6 times narrower than the field of view of the same lens on a full frame.

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