Optical Activity: A substance that is capable of rotating plane-polarized light. Molecules of an optically active substance cannot be superimposed on their own mirror images, just as your left hand cannot be superimposed on your right when both are held palm-down.

 

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Optical Activity: A substance that is capable of rotating plane-polarized light. Molecules of an optically active substance cannot be superimposed on their own mirror images, just as your left hand cannot be . . . View Full Definition

Optical Wedge: Is a strip of material, clear at one end and gradually increasing in opacity, which is used to determine the effect of light intensities on sensitized materials.

Optical Sensitizing: Is a method of increasing a films sensitivity by the use of dyes.

Optical Glass: Is used for manufacturing lenses and prisms. It is specially manufactured to be free of defects and distortion, and to withstand heat and humidity. Each type f optical glass is classified ac . . . View Full Definition

Optical Zoom: The ability to magnify a subject for close-ups, by adjusting the camera's lens assembly (thus the name 'optical'). Most current digital cameras include an optical zoom lens of some kind. The . . . View Full Definition

Passive Activity Loss (PAL): A loss incurred in participating in passive investing.

Weekly Activity Report: A weekly written report given to an owner by a listing broker reviewing the sales activities conducted by the broker to sell the listed property.

Radioactivity: Spontaneous emission of particles or high-energy electromagnetic radiation from the nuclei of unstable atoms. 'Radiation' refers to the emissions, and 'radioactive source' refers to the sour . . . View Full Definition

Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship: A mathematical connection between chemical structure and biological activity, established by statistical analysis or pattern recognition techniques.

Optical Disk: A disk that encodes data as a series of reflecting pits that are read and written by a laser beam.