What is "absorptivity"

Absorptivity \Ab`sorp*tiv"i*ty\, n. Absorptiveness.

n. 1 The quality of being absorptive; absorptiveness. (First attested in the mid 19^th century.)(R:SOED5: page=9) 2 (context thermodynamics English) The fraction of radiation absorbed by a surface to the total radiation incident on the surface. (First attested in the mid 19^th century.) 3 (context analytical chemistry English) The constant a in the Beer's law relation A = abc, where A is the absorbance, b the path length, and c the concentration of solution. Also known as absorptive power. Formerly known as absorbency index; absorption constant; extinction coefficient.

n. (physics) the property of a body that determines the fraction of the incident radiation or sound flux absorbed or absorbable by the body [syn: absorption factor]

In science, the term absorptivity may refer to:

• Molar absorptivity, in chemistry, a measurement of how strongly a chemical species absorbs light at a given wavelength
• Absorptance, in physics, the fraction of radiation absorbed at a given wavelength