Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

ultraviolet catastrophe

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.13 in modern English

Syllables
ul-tra-vi-o-let -catas-tro-phe
IPA
32
Scrabble Score
22
Letters
8
Syllables
13
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A fault in classical physics, from the Rayleigh's law/Rayleigh-Jeans law outcomes at short wavelengths/high frequencies, that causes infinite amplification of shorter wavelength/higher frequency radiation inside a cavity, due to the application of equipartition theorem on black body radiation within a cavity.

Etymology

Coined by Paul Ehrenfest in 1911 in German. Ultraviolet represents that end of the spectrum, given that the visible spectrum represents a stand-in for the whole electromagnetic spectrum, and infrared and ultraviolet are stand-ins for the endpoints. This usage is similar to that represented by the logic behind the terms "redshift" and "blueshift", which assume endpoints of red and blue.

Phrases

oxygen catastrophe vacuum catastrophe

Frequently Paired Words

oxygen catastrophe vacuum catastrophe black body Kirchoff's black body black body radiation Kirchoff's challenge molecular theory equipartition theorem

Synonyms

Rayleigh-Jeans catastrophe Rayleigh catastrophe Rayleigh's catastrophe

Questions

What does ultraviolet catastrophe mean?
A fault in classical physics, from the Rayleigh's law/Rayleigh-Jeans law outcomes at short wavelengths/high frequencies, that causes infinite amplification of shorter wavelength/higher frequency radiation inside a cavity, due to the application of equipartition theorem on black body radiation within a cavity.
Where does ultraviolet catastrophe come from?
Coined by Paul Ehrenfest in 1911 in German. Ultraviolet represents that end of the spectrum, given that the visible spectrum represents a stand-in for the whole electromagnetic spectrum, and infrared and ultraviolet are stand-ins for the endpoints. This usage is similar to that represented by the logic behind the terms "redshift" and "blueshift", which assume endpoints of red and blue.

How to pronounce ultraviolet catastrophe

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