dilatability

Dilatability is the quality or condition of being dilatable, that is, the capacity of a system to dilate, widen, or expand under external or internal influences. The term is used across disciplines, where it carries related but field-specific meanings.

In physics and engineering, dilatability describes how size or volume changes in response to stimuli such as temperature, pressure, or mechanical load. For solids, this is typically quantified by coefficients of thermal expansion (linear, areal, volumetric) that express how dimensions or volume vary with temperature. In fluid dynamics and continuum mechanics, dilatability can refer to the divergence of the velocity field, indicating local expansion or contraction of a fluid element.

In physiology and medicine, dilatability denotes how readily tissues, vessels, or airways widen in response to regulatory signals. Vasodilatory dilatability reflects arterial or venous responsiveness to signaling molecules, while airway dilatability concerns how easily airways enlarge during breathing or in response to bronchodilators. Pupil dilatability describes the ease of pupil enlargement under light or pharmacologic agents.

In mathematics and geometry, dilation is a transformation that scales figures relative to a center. While the formal term dilatability is not universal in this field, it is sometimes used informally to describe whether a shape can be obtained by dilating another shape while preserving its form.

Because the term appears in multiple domains with specific technical meanings, dilatability is often expressed through more precise terms such as dilation, expansion, expansion coefficients, or dilatation, depending on the context.