Spectrum - The Spectrum Of Light, The Wave Nature Of Light, The Electromagnetic Spectrum, Emission Spectra
values political masses mass
Certain properties of objects or physical processes, such as the frequency of light or sound, the masses of the component parts of a molecule, or even the ideals of a political party, may have a wide variety of values. The distribution of these values, arranged in increasing or decreasing order, is the spectrum of that property. For example, sunlight is made up of many different colors of light, the full spectrum of which are revealed when sunlight is dispersed, as it is in a rainbow. Similarly, the distribution of sounds over a range of frequencies, such as a musical scale, is a sound spectrum. The masses of fragments from an ionized molecule, separated according to their mass-to-charge ratio, constitute a mass spectrum. Opposing political parties are often said to be on opposite ends of the (political) spectrum. The term spectrum is also used to describe the graphical illustration of a spectrum of values. The plural of spectrum is spectra.
Additional Topics
The spectrum of colors contained in sunlight was discovered by Sir Isaac Newton in 1666. In fact, the word "spectrum" was coined by Newton to describe the phenomenon he observed. In a report of his discovery published in 1672, Newton described his experiment as follows: "I procured me a triangular glass prism,... having darkened my chamber and made a small hole in my window sh…
The electromagnetic spectrum can be divided into regions which exhibit similar properties, each of which itself constitutes a spectrum: the x-ray spectrum, the ultraviolet spectrum, the visible spectrum (which we commonly refer to as "light"), the infrared spectrum and the radio-frequency spectrum. However, these divisions are arbitrary and do not imply a sharp change in the characte…
The spectrum of electromagnetic radiation emitted by a source is an emission spectrum. One way of producing electromagnetic radiation is by heating a material until it glows, or emits light. For example, a piece of iron heated in a blacksmith's furnace will emit visible light as well as infrared radiation (heat). Similarly, a light bulb uses electrical current to heat a tungsten filament en…
Atomic and molecular materials can also absorb electromagnetic radiation. The set of wavelengths or frequencies of electromagnetic radiation absorbed by any single, pure material is unique to that material, and can be used as a "fingerprint" to identify the material. The record of the absorbed wavelengths or frequencies is an absorption spectrum. The instrument used to measure the ab…
Citing this material
Please include a link to this page if you have found this material useful for research or writing a related article. Content on this website is from high-quality, licensed material originally published in print form. You can always be sure you're reading unbiased, factual, and accurate information.
Highlight the text below, right-click, and select “copy”. Paste the link into your website, email, or any other HTML document.
User Comments