visible radiation
- noun
- /ˈvɪzəbl ˌreɪdiˈeɪʃən/
- Specialized
:
radiación visible
- The sun emits visible radiation that allows us to see during the day.
Examples
-
Sometimes we observe the Sun in white light—all the visible radiation taken together.
Academic text (1991) -
For the exposure, exact speed recommendations are not possible as the ratio of the infrared to the visible radiation is variable.
Academic text (1995) -
The solar films block out infrared, ultraviolet, and visible radiation from entering through the windows.
Blog text (8) -
Visible radiation connects the surfaces of the Sun and Earth; UV radiation connects their atmospheres.
Academic text (2006) -
Interest in the Crab increased markedly after its 1948 identification as the first celestial emitter of both radio and visible radiation.
Academic text (1990) -
But the discovery of an invisible "hot" universe of x-ray sources, often radiating at millions of times the power of their visible radiation, was totally unpredicted.
Academic text (1991) -
Although it is known that quasars flicker and that their radio waves and visible radiation vary on time scales of days to weeks, astronomers are not certain what quasars actually are, nor how they can be so luminous.
Academic text (1990) -
Plants use visible radiation for photosynthesis, which helps them grow.
-
When we look through a glass prism, it separates visible radiation into a spectrum of colors.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Brightness from the sun, lamps, or fire that makes things visible
10
3.4
Light that people can see, like sunlight or lamp light
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is a straightforward adjective + noun composition: 'visible' (perceptible by the eye) modifying 'radiation' (emitted energy), so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to radiation that can be seen (i.e., light). This collocation follows standard compositional patterns found across languages, making the meaning immediately accessible to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Visible radiation comes from the simple idea that radiation is energy that travels in waves and visible means something you can see, so visible radiation is the kind of 'light' our eyes can detect, like sunlight or a lamp, which is why the phrase refers to the light we see.