absorptance

[ ab-sawrp-tuh ns, -zawrp- ]

/ æbˈsɔrp təns, -ˈzɔrp- /

noun Physics, Optics.

the ratio of the amount of radiation absorbed by a surface to the amount of radiation incident upon it.

Nearby words

absorbent cotton, absorbent vessel, absorber, absorbing, absorbing well, absorptance, absorptiometer, absorptiometry, absorption, absorption band, absorption chromatography

Compare reflectance, transmittance.

Origin of absorptance

1930–35; translation of German Absorptionsvermögen. See absorption, -ance

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for absorptance

absorptance

absorption factor

/ (əbˈsɔːptəns, -ˈzɔːp-) /

noun

physics a measure of the ability of an object to absorb radiation, equal to the ratio of the absorbed radiant flux to the incident flux. For a layer of material the ratio of the flux absorbed between the entry and exit surfaces of the layer to the flux leaving the entry surface is the internal absorptanceSymbol: α Compare reflectance, transmittance

Word Origin for absorptance

C20: absorption + -ance

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012