Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
absorptance

absorptance

9.9
How much light and heat a material takes in rather than reflects or passes through
  • noun
  • /æbˈzɔːrp.təns/
  • Specialized
translation icon : absortancia
  • The absorptance of the new solar panel is significantly higher than its predecessor.

Examples

  • Light management ensures that the absorptance is high.

  • To improve the thermal performance, we need to measure the absorptance of various materials.

  • The Wolfram Radiation Protection Reference App lets you calculate the requirement for shielding different types of radiation and compute the CSDA range and absorptance.

    Blog text (30)

  • Research on material properties indicates that absorptance affects energy efficiency in buildings.

Synonyms

absorptivity
vsabsorptance
  • Specialized
1 8.9

A measure of how much light or sound a material takes in

is the measured fraction of incident energy absorbed rather than transmitted or reflected

Antonyms

reflectance
  • Specialized
1 7.9

The amount of light a surface sends back

transmittance
  • Specialized
1 8.2

The part of light that passes through a material like glass

Surface Forms

absorptance singular
absorptances plural

Morphology

absorptance = absorb (semi-transparent) = absorpt + ance

Formed from the verb 'absorb' with the nominalizing suffix '-ance'; the components are clear but the precise technical meaning 'fraction of incident radiant energy' is specialized and not directly inferable by average learners.

Etymology

The word absorptance comes from the common word absorb, made from ab- 'away' and sorbere 'to suck in'. So absorptance is the measure of how much energy a material 'takes in' instead of 'bouncing back' or 'passing through'.