1. What is Absorption?

Absorption (A) is a measure of how much light is absorbed by a material. It is calculated from transmittance (T), which is the fraction of incident light that passes through a sample.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the absorption formula:

Where:

• \( A \) — Absorbance (unitless)
• \( T \) — Transmittance (unitless, between 0 and 1)

Explanation: The negative logarithm of transmittance gives the absorbance, which follows the Beer-Lambert law for light absorption in materials.

3. Importance of Absorption Calculation

Details: Accurate absorption calculation is crucial for spectroscopy, chemical analysis, material science, and determining concentrations of solutions in various scientific fields.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter transmittance as a decimal value between 0 and 1. For example, 50% transmittance should be entered as 0.5.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What is the relationship between absorbance and transmittance?
A: Absorbance is the negative logarithm (base 10) of transmittance. As transmittance decreases, absorbance increases.

Q2: What are typical absorbance values?
A: Absorbance values typically range from 0 to 2, with values above 2 indicating very little light transmission.

Q3: Why use logarithmic scale for absorbance?
A: The logarithmic scale makes absorbance directly proportional to concentration, following the Beer-Lambert law.

Q4: Can absorbance be greater than 1?
A: Yes, absorbance can be greater than 1 when less than 10% of light is transmitted through the sample.

Q5: What instruments measure absorbance?
A: Spectrophotometers and colorimeters are commonly used to measure absorbance in various scientific applications.