reflector

Thân thiện

A student peers through a reflector telescope at the night sky.

Definition

Noun: 1. A device that reflects light, sound, or other radiation: An object or surface designed to throw back waves, such as light or radio waves, often to increase visibility, redirect signals, or concentrate energy. 2. A reflecting telescope: An optical telescope that uses a curved mirror (or combination of mirrors) to gather and focus light, producing a magnified image.

Usage and Examples

• As a safety device:
  • The bicycle's rear reflector makes the cyclist more visible to car headlights at night.
  • Road signs are coated with a special reflector material.
• In astronomy and optics:
  • The observatory's main instrument is a large reflector with a mirror over two meters in diameter.
  • Newton's reflector telescope design avoided the color distortion problems of lenses.
• In technology and engineering:
  • The satellite dish acts as a reflector for radio signals.
  • The antenna uses a parabolic reflector to focus the signal.

Advanced Usage

• "Perfect reflector": A theoretical surface that reflects all incident radiation without absorbing any.
  • In physics problems, a surface is sometimes treated as a perfect reflector to simplify calculations.
• "Corner reflector": A device using three mutually perpendicular reflective surfaces to reflect waves directly back to their source, used in radar and navigation.
  • Small boats often carry radar reflectors to make them more detectable.

Variants and Related Words

• Reflect (verb): To throw back (light, heat, or sound) from a surface.
  • The lake reflects the mountains beautifully.
• Reflective (adjective):
  • Capable of reflecting light or other radiation.

    • She wore a reflective vest while jogging at dusk.
  • Characterized by deep thought; thoughtful.

    • He was in a reflective mood.
• Reflectance (noun): The measure of the proportion of light or other radiation reflected by a surface.

Synonyms

• Mirror (when referring to a surface that reflects light clearly to form an image).
• Cat's eye (a specific type of road safety reflector).
• Reflecting telescope (specifically for the astronomical instrument).

Related Phrases and Compounds

• Reflector sight: A type of gunsight or head-up display that projects an aiming point onto a glass reflector.
• Reflector oven: A cooking device that uses a reflective surface to concentrate heat on food.
• Parabolic reflector: A reflector with a parabolic shape that can collimate or focus waves.

Học thuật

Noun

1. optical telescope consisting of a large concave mirror that produces an image that is magnified by the eyepiece
   • Isaac Newton invented the reflecting telescope in 1668
2. device that reflects radiation

Từ đồng nghĩa

• reflecting telescope