incidence angle
- noun
- /ˈɪnsɪdəns ˈæŋɡəl/
- Specialized
:
ángulo de incidencia
- The incidence angle of sunlight affects the amount of energy absorbed by a solar panel.
Examples
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What is the incidence angle for this experiment?
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At a steep incidence angle, more light is reflected from the surface of the water.
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The experiment measured how changing the incidence angle impacted the brightness of the reflected beam.
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The incidence angle affects how light reflects off surfaces.
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The researcher measured the incidence angle of the sunlight hitting the solar panel to optimize its efficiency.
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Adjusting the incidence angle of the camera allowed us to capture the best view of the sunset.
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To improve the accuracy of the experiment, we studied the effect of the incidence angle on the reflected light.
Synonyms
401
2.5
The space between two lines or surfaces that meet at a point
11
3.4
How much a surface goes up or down from flat
5
6.3
The angle or tilt of something compared with a flat line
1
6.8
The angle between a light ray and a line at a right angle to the surface where they meet
A beam of sunlight that comes into a room at an angle
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward composition of 'incidence' (the event or direction of something striking a surface) and 'angle' so its meaning — the angle related to an incoming ray or line — follows directly from the parts. Although somewhat technical, this compound follows standard noun-noun composition found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can reasonably infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Incidence angle comes from a simple picture: imagine a light beam, the incoming line, hitting a flat surface. The incidence angle is the angle between that beam and a line that stands straight up from the surface, the line that stands straight up, so it tells us how 'direct' or 'steep' the beam meets the surface.