ENGLISH
REFERENCE

absorptivity

n.
C1 Advanced ab·sorp·tiv·i·ty

n. the ability of a material to take in and hold onto energy, like heat or light. It measures how much of that energy a surface can absorb rather than reflect.

n. the capacity of a material to absorb electromagnetic radiation, such as light or heat, without reflecting it. Often expressed as a dimensionless coefficient or percentage.


SIMPLE

The black paint has a high absorptivity for sunlight.

CONTEXTUAL

Engineers selected a material with high thermal absorptivity to ensure the solar panels captured as much heat as possible.

COMPLEX

In the study of climate change, scientists calculate the Earth's overall absorptivity to determine how much solar radiation is retained by the atmosphere versus reflected back into space.

Origin

From absorptive + -ity.

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