as in sensors
a device that detects some physical quantity and responds usually with a transmitted signal
a motion detector to thwart burglaries
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Recent Examples of detectors
The products were sold between 2019 and 2021 and included faulty carbon monoxide (CO) detectors, hair dryers without electrocution protection, and children’s sleepwear violating federal flammability standards.
—
Jibin Joseph, PCMAG, 18 Mar. 2025
When the records were examined, it was found that the detectors had been triggered by occasional bursts of gamma rays, but that the source could not possibly be anything near Earth.
—Mark Fischetti, Scientific American, 17 Mar. 2025
Some camera detectors are sensitive to infrared light—not just detectors in JWST but also those in newer smartphones.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 13 Mar. 2025
The observatory's infrared detectors will collect data on the chemical composition of asteroids, hazy star-forming clouds, and faraway galaxies.
—Ars Technica, 13 Mar. 2025
Many past infrared telescopes used cryogenic coolant to chill their detectors, but this is a finite resource that gradually boils off in space, limiting mission lifetimes.
—Ars Technica, 13 Mar. 2025
Three concentric photon shields extend from the top of the spacecraft to insulate the telescope's optics and detectors from light from the Sun and the Earth.
—Ars Technica, 13 Mar. 2025
This expansion affects light wavelengths emanating from cosmic objects of interest, like stars, that travel toward our detectors on Earth.
—Monisha Ravisetti, Space.com, 12 Mar. 2025
The telescope’s infrared detectors will be able to distinguish 102 colors invisible to the human eye, yielding the most colorful, inclusive map ever made of the cosmos.
—Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2025
Jibin Joseph, PCMAG, 18 Mar. 2025
When the records were examined, it was found that the detectors had been triggered by occasional bursts of gamma rays, but that the source could not possibly be anything near Earth.
—Mark Fischetti, Scientific American, 17 Mar. 2025
Some camera detectors are sensitive to infrared light—not just detectors in JWST but also those in newer smartphones.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 13 Mar. 2025
The observatory's infrared detectors will collect data on the chemical composition of asteroids, hazy star-forming clouds, and faraway galaxies.
—Ars Technica, 13 Mar. 2025
Many past infrared telescopes used cryogenic coolant to chill their detectors, but this is a finite resource that gradually boils off in space, limiting mission lifetimes.
—Ars Technica, 13 Mar. 2025
Three concentric photon shields extend from the top of the spacecraft to insulate the telescope's optics and detectors from light from the Sun and the Earth.
—Ars Technica, 13 Mar. 2025
This expansion affects light wavelengths emanating from cosmic objects of interest, like stars, that travel toward our detectors on Earth.
—Monisha Ravisetti, Space.com, 12 Mar. 2025
The telescope’s infrared detectors will be able to distinguish 102 colors invisible to the human eye, yielding the most colorful, inclusive map ever made of the cosmos.
—Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Detectors.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detectors. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
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