rarefaction

rarefaction
rarefactional, adj.rarefactive /rair'euh fak"tiv/, adj.
/rair'euh fak"sheuhn/, n.
1. the act or process of rarefying.
2. the state of being rarefied.
[1595-1605; < ML rarefaction- (s. of rarefactio), equiv. to L rarefact(us) (ptp. of rarefacere; see RAREFY) + -ion- -ION]

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      in the physics of sound, segment of one cycle of a longitudinal wave during its travel or motion, the other segment being compression. If the prong of a tuning fork vibrates in the air, for example, the layer of air adjacent to the prong undergoes compression when the prong moves so as to squeeze the air molecules together. When the prong springs back in the opposite direction, however, it leaves an area of reduced air pressure. This is rarefaction. A succession of rarefactions and compressions makes up the longitudinal wave motion that emanates from an acoustic source.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • raréfaction — [ rarefaksjɔ̃ ] n. f. • 1370; lat. médiév. rarefactio 1 ♦ Fait de se raréfier; diminution de la densité d un gaz et augmentation de son volume. Raréfaction de l air en haute montagne. Pathol. Raréfaction du tissu osseux : ostéoporose. 2 ♦ (1872)… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Rarefaction — is the reduction of a medium s density, or the opposite of compression. A natural example of this is as a phase in a sound wave or phonon. Half of a sound wave is made up of the compression of the medium, and the other half is the decompression… …   Wikipedia

  • rarefaction — Rarefaction. s. f. v. Terme dogmatique. Action de rarefier, & estat de ce qui est rarefié. Il est opposé à condensation. La rarefaction de l air. cela se fait par la rarefaction …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • Rarefaction — Rar e*fac tion (r[a^]r [ e]*f[a^]k sh[u^]n), n. [Cf. F. rar[ e]faction. See {Rarefy}.] The act or process of rarefying; the state of being rarefied; opposed to condensation; as, the rarefaction of air. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Rarefaction — (v. lat.), 1) Ausdehnung einer diffusibeln in einem begrenzten Raume eingeschlossenen Materie, so daß auf ein gegebenes Raumtheilchen von der darin enthaltenen Materie weniger Atome, als vorher, gehen, die Atome also darin seltener geworden sind; …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Rarefaction — Rarefaction, lat. deutsch, Erweiterung der Schweißlöcher; Verdünnung der Luft durch Wärme …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • rarefaction — c.1600, noun of action from L. rarefacere (see RAREFY (Cf. rarefy)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • raréfaction — (ra ré fa ksion) s. f. Terme de physique. Action de raréfier ; état de ce qui est raréfié. •   C est cette seule raréfaction du sang qui est cause du mouvement du coeur, DESC. Foetus, 2. •   À une très forte chaleur, la raréfaction de l air est… …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

  • rarefaction — noun Etymology: French or Medieval Latin; French raréfaction, from Medieval Latin rarefaction , rarefactio, from Latin rarefacere to rarefy Date: 1572 1. the action or process of rarefying 2. the quality or state of being rarefied 3. a state or… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • RARÉFACTION — s. f. T. didactique. Action de raréfier ; État de ce qui est raréfié. Il est opposé à Condensation. Cela se fait par la raréfaction. La raréfaction de l air …   Dictionnaire de l'Academie Francaise, 7eme edition (1835)

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