resolving power

noun

1

: the ability of an optical system to form distinguishable images of objects separated by small angular distances

2

: the ability of a photographic film or plate to reproduce the fine detail of an optical image

Examples of resolving power in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The camera, together with the telescope’s optics, will have enough resolving power to see an object the size of a golf ball 15 miles away—or, equivalently, an object the size of the White House on the moon. —Dan Falk, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 June 2024

The lens' resolving power suffers (especially at long focal lengths) because its optics aren't made for a small sensor. —PCMAG, 1 Feb. 2024

The farther apart two dishes are, the better the resolving power of that array. —Erika K Carlson, Discover Magazine, 10 Apr. 2019

In this way, the electron energy sets the maximum resolving power of a deep inelastic scattering experiment. —Quanta Magazine, 19 Oct. 2022

These Olympus 10x25 offer a great compromise between resolving power, weight, and price. —Scott Gilbertson, WIRED, 22 Aug. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Medical Definition

resolving power

noun

: the ability of an optical system to form distinguishable images of objects separated by small angular distances