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Glite Dictionary
polarimeter

polarimeter

1 9.5
An instrument that measures how a substance turns polarized light
  • noun
  • /ˌpoʊləˈrɪmətər/
  • Specialized
: polarímetro
  • Scientists often use a polarimeter to determine the optical activity of different substances in research.

And he dissolved them in water and placed them in the polarimeter.

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Examples

  • When you go out, you'll be operating things like polarimeters, refractometers, density meters.

    MIT OpenCourseWare

  • Thorlabs has announced the PA500 series of polarization analyzers (polarimeters) for measuring both fully and partially polarized light from free space and fiber-connected input.

    Academic text (2002)

  • The polarimeter is essential in our lab to measure the rotation of polarized light during chemical experiments.

  • During the lecture, the professor explained how a polarimeter works to analyze the polarization of light.

Synonyms

polariscope
vspolarimeter
  • Specialized
9.9

A tool that shows how clear materials change polarized light

focuses on precise measurement of rotation especially in chemical analysis

How Specialized

polarimeter
  • Specialized
1 9.5

Surface Forms

polarimeter singular
polarimeters plural

Morphology

polarimeter = polar (opaque) = polar + meter

Although the word visibly contains the measuring suffix '-meter', the base 'polar' only indirectly relates to the specialized scientific sense involving polarized light.

Etymology

Polarimeter comes from polar ('pole' or 'direction') and -meter ('measure'), the same ending you see in thermometer. So a polarimeter is a tool that 'measures' how a substance turns the 'direction' of light, which is why chemists use it to check the amount of sugar in a solution.