emissivity

emis·siv·i·ty | \ ˌe-mə-ˈsi-və-tē

How to pronounce emissivity (audio)

, ˌē-ˌmi-ˈsi- \

plural emissivities

Definition of emissivity

: the relative power of a surface to emit heat by radiation : the ratio of the radiant energy emitted by a surface to that emitted by a blackbody at the same temperature

Examples of emissivity in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The amount of thermal radiation depends on the emissivity of the object. — Chris Lee, Ars Technica, "Painted-on salt provides glowing thermometer for tiny things," 17 July 2019 The emissivity of an object can have a value between 0 and 1. — Rhett Allain, WIRED, "Should You Wear White or Black on Hot Days? Here's the Data," 9 July 2019 In the world of infrared cameras, different materials can have a different emissivity. — Rhett Allain, WIRED, "Should You Wear White or Black on Hot Days? Here's the Data," 9 July 2019 The emissivity is a number between one and zero that depends on the physical properties of the object. — Chris Lee, Ars Technica, "Painted-on salt provides glowing thermometer for tiny things," 17 July 2019 Something that only reflects infrared light would have an emissivity of zero. — Rhett Allain, WIRED, "Should You Wear White or Black on Hot Days? Here's the Data," 9 July 2019 The efficiency with which a material emits (or absorbs) light is described by its emissivity, which scales from zero to one. — Chris Lee, Ars Technica, "Salt-infused graphene creates an infrared cloaking device," 3 Aug. 2018 As a result, the emissivity of the layer is quite high. — Chris Lee, Ars Technica, "Salt-infused graphene creates an infrared cloaking device," 3 Aug. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'emissivity.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

15 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Emissivity.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emissivity. Accessed 29 January 2020.

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