In chemistry, the path length is defined as the distance that light (UV/VIS) travels through a sample in an analytical cell. Typically, a sample cell is made of quartz, glass, or a plastic rhombic cuvette with a volume typically ranging from 0.1 mL to 10 mL or larger used in a spectrophotometer. For the purposes of spectrophotometry (i.e. when making calculations using the Beer-Lambert law) the path length is measured in centimeters (rather than in meters).
In a computer network, the path length is one of many possible router metrics used by a router to help determine the best route among multiple routes to a destination. It consists of the end-to-end hop count from a source to a destination over the network.
More simply, in general computer terminology, it can mean simply the total number of instructions executed from point A to point B in a program - Instruction path length.
In physics, the path length is defined as the total distance an object travels. Unlike displacement, which is the total distance an object travels from a starting point, path length is the total distance travelled, regardless of where it travelled.
Famous quotes containing the words path and/or length:
“Among the best traitors Ireland has ever had, Mother Church ranks at the very top, a massive obstacle in the path to equality and freedom. She has been a force for conservatism, not on the basis of preserving Catholic doctrine or preventing the corruption of her children, but simply to ward off threats to her own security and influence.”
—Bernadette Devlin (b. 1947)
“At length to hospital
This man was limited,
Where screens leant on the wall
And idle headphones hung.
Since he would soon be dead
They let his wife come along
And pour out tea, each day.”
—Philip Larkin (1922–1986)