Opazität

Opazität, also known as opacity, is a fundamental concept in physics and optics that describes the degree to which a substance prevents light from passing through it. A substance with high opacity is opaque, meaning it blocks light entirely. Conversely, a substance with low opacity is transparent, allowing light to pass through with little obstruction. Translucent materials, which have intermediate opacity, allow some light to pass through but scatter it, making objects behind them appear blurry.

The opacity of a material is not an absolute property but often depends on the wavelength of the light being considered. For instance, glass is transparent to visible light but opaque to ultraviolet radiation. Opacity is a crucial factor in various applications, including window design, solar energy, and camouflage. In the context of imaging, opacity refers to the solidness or density of an object, often represented by a value between 0 (fully transparent) and 1 (fully opaque) in digital graphics. In meteorology, atmospheric opacity measures the degree to which the atmosphere absorbs and scatters solar radiation, impacting climate and solar energy potential. The opposite of opacity is transparency.