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absorption
physics
solar spectrum
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absorption, in wave motion, the transfer of the energy of a wave to matter as the wave passes through it. The energy of an acoustic, electromagnetic, or other wave is proportional to the square of its amplitude—i.e., the maximum displacement or movement of a point on the wave—and, as the wave passes through a substance, its amplitude steadily decreases. If there is only a small fractional absorption of energy, the medium is said to be transparent to that particular radiation, but if all the energy is lost, the medium is said to be opaque. All known transparent substances show absorption ...(100 of 403 words)