radiation pressure
Origin of radiation pressure
1Words Nearby radiation pressure
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use radiation pressure in a sentence
A solar sail is a foldable, lightweight, and highly reflective membrane capable of harnessing the effect of the sun’s radiation pressure to propel a spacecraft forward without fuel.
Solar Power Stations in Space Could Be the Answer to Our Energy Needs | Amanda Jane Hughes | November 27, 2020 | Singularity Hub
Scientific definitions for radiation pressure
Force per unit area exerted by waves or particles of radiation, especially photons. Though photons have no mass, they do have momentum, and can transfer that momentum to other particles upon impact. The amount of pressure exerted by a given amount of radiation depends on whether the radiation is absorbed or reflected. Radiation pressure is responsible for the Casimir effect; solar radiation pressure is exploited in the design of solar sails.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Browse