Article
Article
Attenuation
Article By:
Bailey, A. Earle Formerly, Electrical Science Division, National Physical Laboratory, London, United Kingdom.
Last reviewed:October 2019
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.061600
The reduction in level of a transmitted quantity as a function of a parameter, usually distance. It is applied mainly to acoustic or electromagnetic waves and is expressed as the ratio of power densities. Various mechanisms can give rise to attenuation. Among the most important are geometrical attenuation, absorption, and scattering.
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