dispersive power

American  

noun

Optics.

1. a measure of the ability of a substance to disperse light, equal to the quotient of the difference in refractive indices of the substance for two representative wavelengths divided by the difference of the refractive index for an intermediate wavelength and 1.

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Example Sentences

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dispersive power

The spectrum will have a certain length, depending on the dispersive power of the glass.

From Half-hours with the Telescope Being a Popular Guide to the Use of the Telescope as a Means of Amusement and Instruction. by Richard A. (Richard Anthony) Proctor

Upon applying a greater dispersive power he noticed that the line "D" was a double one; but so also was the sodium line under these conditions.

From New and Original Theories of the Great Physical Forces by Henry Raymond Rogers

Stones of high dispersive power will display vivid color play in this position.

From A Text-Book of Precious Stones for Jewelers and the Gem-Loving Public by Frank Bertram Wade

It did not spread out any more: a prism had no more dispersive power over it; it was deflected by the appropriate amount, but it was not analysed into constituents.

From Pioneers of Science by Sir Oliver Lodge

On the other hand, a spectrum of bright lines undergoes no such weakening by an increase in the dispersive power of the spectroscope.

From Astronomy: The Science of the Heavenly Bodies by David Peck Todd