spectrum analysis

American  

noun

1. the determination of the constitution or condition of bodies and substances by means of the spectra they produce.

2. the ascertaining of the number and character of the constituents combining to produce a sound spectrogram.

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spectrum analysis British  

noun

1. the analysis of a spectrum to determine the properties of its source, such as the analysis of the emission spectrum of a substance to determine the electron distribution in its molecules

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Etymology

Origin of spectrum analysis

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

There was no definitive evidence of malfunctioned electrical wiring, even though the sound spectrum analysis of the explosion was consistent with an electrical one.

From Time • Jul. 22, 2014

He was one of the world's leading authorities on radioactivity, spectrum analysis, heat radiation of stars and planets, and pressure of light.

From Time Magazine Archive

Three years later, after polling 1,000 scientists, the magazine listed the Seven Wonders of the Modern World: "wireless, telephone, aeroplane, radium, antiseptics and antitoxins, spectrum analysis, X ray."

From Time Magazine Archive

In natural sciences, it abounded with men like Bunsen and Kirchhoff, who in 1860 demonstrated spectrum analysis, and Helmholtz, one of the founders of the law of the conservation of energy.

From Time Magazine Archive

Its distinctive method is spectrum analysis, the invention and development of which in the 19th century have fundamentally altered the purpose and prospects of celestial inquiries.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 7 "Arundel, Thomas" to "Athens" by Various