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- Dictionaryrarefaction/ˌrɛːrɪˈfakʃn/
noun
- 1. reduction in the density of something, especially air or a gas: "opposed processes such as rarefaction and condensation"
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noun
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Rarefaction is the reduction of an item's density, the opposite of compression. Like compression, which can travel in waves (sound waves, for instance), rarefaction waves also exist in nature. A common rarefaction wave is the area of low relative pressure following a shock wave (see picture). Wikipedia