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

By running a spectrum analysis on the X rays, the physicists are able to determine just what the specimens are made of.

From Time Magazine Archive

But if spectrum analysis were to exist as a science at all, it could only be by attaining certainty as to the unvarying association of one special substance with each special quality of light.

From A Popular History of Astronomy During the Nineteenth Century Fourth Edition by Clerke, Agnes M. (Agnes Mary)