The word "transmittances" refers to the degree to which light or sound can pass through a material. Its spelling can be a bit tricky to decipher based on pronunciation alone. Using IPA, we can see that the stress falls on the second syllable (trænzmɪtənsɪz). The double "t" in "transmittances" indicates that the "t" sound is pronounced twice in quick succession. Additionally, the ending "-ances" is a common French borrowing in English, often indicating a noun or state.
Transmittance refers to the ability of a material or medium to allow the passage of light or other electromagnetic waves through it. It is a quantitative measure that expresses the degree to which light or radiation is transmitted through a substance or medium.
In optics, transmittance is often represented as a ratio or a percentage. It is calculated by comparing the intensity of the light or radiation that is transmitted through a material to the intensity of the incident light or radiation. A transmittance value of 1 or 100% represents complete transmission, meaning all the incident light is allowed to pass through without any absorption or reflection, while a value of 0 represents no transmission, indicating that all the incident light is absorbed or reflected.
Transmittance is a valuable concept in various fields, including physics, chemistry, biology, and environmental science. It is commonly used to characterize the properties of materials such as glass, plastics, gases, liquids, and filters. Different materials have different transmittance properties depending on their composition, thickness, and applied treatments or coatings.
Measuring transmittance can be accomplished using instruments such as spectrophotometers or photometers, which measure the intensity of light before and after passing through a sample. The data obtained from transmittance measurements can provide vital information about the optical behavior, quality, and transparency of a material or sample, making it a crucial parameter in many scientific and technological applications.
The word transmittances is derived from the verb transmit, which has its roots in the Latin word transmittere. Transmittere is a combination of two Latin roots: trans, meaning across or beyond, and mittere, meaning to send. The suffix -ance is added to the verb transmit to create the noun form, transmittance, which refers to the act or process of transmitting something across a medium, such as light or sound waves. Therefore, transmittances is the plural form of transmittance.