Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The meaning of RAREFACTION is the action or process of rarefying. How to use rarefaction in a sentence.
rarefaction, in the physics of sound, segment of one cycle of a longitudinal wave during its travel or motion, the other segment being compression.
rarefaction / râr′ə-făk ′ shən / A decrease in density and pressure in a medium, such as air, especially when caused by the passage of a wave, such as a sound wave.
Rarefaction is the reduction of an item's density, the opposite of compression. [1] Like compression, which can travel in waves (sound waves, for instance), rarefaction waves also exist in nature. A common rarefaction wave is the area of low relative pressure following a shock wave (see picture).
A decrease in the density of something is rarefaction. As you climb a mountain, you experience rarefaction of the air; the air becomes less dense the higher up you go. Most of the time, rarefaction refers to air or other gases becoming less dense.
Rarefaction Definition. The condition of being rarefied. A decrease in density and pressure in a medium, such as air, caused by the passage of a sound wave. The region in which this occurs.
noun. the act or process of making less dense or the state of being less dense. Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers. Derived forms. rarefactional (ˌrareˈfactional) or rareficational (ˌrarefiˈcational) or rarefactive (ˌrareˈfactive) adjective. rarefaction in American English. (ˌrɛərəˈfækʃən) noun. 1.
Definition of rarefaction noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
Rarefaction is a region in a wave where the medium is less dense compared to the surrounding areas. It is a key concept in understanding the propagation of sound waves and their behavior, particularly in the context of the speed of sound, frequency, wavelength, the Doppler effect, and sonic booms.
n. 1. The condition of being rarefied. 2. a. A decrease in density and pressure in a medium, such as air, caused by the passage of a sound wave. b. The region in which this occurs. rar′e·fac′tive adj.