blackbody

[ blak-bod-ee ]

noun,plural black·bod·ies.Physics.
  1. a hypothetical body that absorbs without reflection all of the electromagnetic radiation incident on its surface and then, depending on temperature, emits its own thermal radiation.

Origin of blackbody

1
First recorded in1700–10
  • Also called perfect radiator.

Words Nearby blackbody

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for black body

black body

noun
  1. physics a hypothetical body that would be capable of absorbing all the electromagnetic radiation falling on it: Also called: full radiator

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for blackbody

blackbody

[ blăkbŏdē ]


  1. A theoretically perfect absorber and emitter of every frequency of electromagnetic radiation. The radiation emitted by a blackbody is a function only of its temperature.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for blackbody

blackbody

An object that can absorb and send off radiation with complete efficiency — that is, it reflects (see reflection) none of the radiation that falls on it. The higher the object's temperature, the higher the frequency of the radiation it gives off.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.