absorption
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia:
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absorption
Transfer of energy from a wave to the medium through which it passes. The energy of the wave can be reflected, transmitted, or absorbed. If the medium absorbs only a fraction of the energy, it is said to be transparent to that energy. When all energy is absorbed, the medium is opaque. All substances absorb energy to some extent. For instance, the ocean appears transparent to sunlight near the surface, but becomes opaque with depth. Substances absorb specific types of radiation. Rubber is transparent to infrared radiation and X rays, but opaque to visible light. Green glass is transparent to green light but absorbs red and blue light. Absorption of sound is fundamental to acoustics; a soft material absorbs sound energy as the waves strike it.
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1. The process by which a liquid, or a mixture of gases and liquid, is drawn into and tends to fill permeable pores in a porous solid material; usually accompanied by a physical change, chemical change, or both, of the material.
2. The increase in weight of a porous solid body resulting from the penetration of liquid into its permeable pores.
3. The increase in weight of a brick or tile unit when immersed in either cold or boiling water for a stated length of time; expressed as a percentage of the weight of the dry unit.
4. The process by which radiant energy, which is incident on a surface, is converted to other forms of energy.
5. See sound absorption. 6. See light absorption.
Electronics Dictionary:
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absorption
Loss or dissipation of energy as it travels through a medium, Example: radio waves lose some of their energy as they travel through the atmosphere.
Wiley Dictionary of Flavors:
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Absorption
Absorption is the process describing either:
- A liquid or a solid taking in a gas in the form of aromas, or
- A substance taking up energy in the form of heat, light, or X-rays. See Adsorption.
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