res·o·nance (r z  -nns)n. 1. The quality or condition of being resonant: words that had resonance throughout his life. 2. Richness or significance, especially in evoking an association or strong emotion: "It is home and family that give resonance . . . to life" (George Gilder). "Israel, gateway to Mecca, is of course a land of religious resonance and geopolitical significance" (James Wolcott). 3. Physics The increase in amplitude of oscillation of an electric or mechanical system exposed to a periodic force whose frequency is equal or very close to the natural undamped frequency of the system. 4. Physics A subatomic particle lasting too short a time to be observed directly. The existence of such particles is usually inferred from a peak in the energy distribution of its decay products. 5. Acoustics Intensification and prolongation of sound, especially of a musical tone, produced by sympathetic vibration. 6. Linguistics Intensification of vocal tones during articulation, as by the air cavities of the mouth and nasal passages. 7. Medicine The sound produced by diagnostic percussion of the normal chest. 8. Chemistry The property of a compound having simultaneously the characteristics of two or more structural forms that differ only in the distribution of electrons. Such compounds are highly stable and cannot be properly represented by a single structural formula. |
resonance [ˈrɛzənəns]
n
1. the condition or quality of being resonant
2. (Physics / General Physics) sound produced by a body vibrating in sympathy with a neighbouring source of sound
3. (Physics / General Physics) the condition of a body or system when it is subjected to a periodic disturbance of the same frequency as the natural frequency of the body or system. At this frequency the system displays an enhanced oscillation or vibration
4. (Linguistics / Phonetics & Phonology) amplification of speech sounds by sympathetic vibration in the bone structure of the head and chest, resounding in the cavities of the nose, mouth, and pharynx
5. (Electronics) Electronics the condition of an electrical circuit when the frequency is such that the capacitive and inductive reactances are equal in magnitude. In a series circuit there is then maximum alternating current whilst in a parallel circuit there is minimum alternating current
6. (Medicine) Med the sound heard when percussing a hollow bodily structure, esp the chest or abdomen. Change in the quality of the sound often indicates an underlying disease or disorder
7. (Chemistry) Chem the phenomenon in which the electronic structure of a molecule can be represented by two or more hypothetical structures involving single, double, and triple chemical bonds. The true structure is considered to be an average of these theoretical structures
8. (Physics / General Physics) Physics
a. the condition of a system in which there is a sharp maximum probability for the absorption of electromagnetic radiation or capture of particles
b. a type of elementary particle of extremely short lifetime. Resonances are regarded as excited states of more stable particles
c. a highly transient atomic state formed during a collision process
[from Latin resonāre to resound]
| resonance (rz-nns) Oscillation induced in a physical system when it is affected by another system that is itself oscillating at the right frequency. For example, a swing will swing to greater heights if each consecutive push on it is timed to be in rhythm with the initial swing. Radios are tuned to pick up one radio frequency rather than another using a resonant circuit that resonates strongly with the incoming signal at only a narrow band of frequencies. The soundboards of musical instruments, contrastingly, are designed to resonate with a large range of frequencies produced by the instrument. See also harmonic motion. |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. | resonance - an excited state of a stable particle causing a sharp maximum in the probability of absorption of electromagnetic radiation physical phenomenon - a natural phenomenon involving the physical properties of matter and energy nuclear resonance - the resonance absorption of a gamma ray by a nucleus identical to the nucleus that emitted the gamma ray magnetic resonance - resonance of electrons or atoms or molecules or nuclei to radiation frequencies as a result of space quantization in a magnetic field |
| 2. | resonance - a vibration of large amplitude produced by a relatively small vibration near the same frequency of vibration as the natural frequency of the resonating system oscillation, vibration - (physics) a regular periodic variation in value about a mean | |
| 3. | resonance - having the character of a loud deep sound; the quality of being resonant | |
| 4. | resonance - a relationship of mutual understanding or trust and agreement between people | |
| 5. | resonance - the quality imparted to voiced speech sounds by the action of the resonating chambers of the throat and mouth and nasal cavities |
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