stroboscope

Stroboscope is another name for a strobe light—a type of specialized lamp that produces a continuous series of short, bright flashes of light.

They can also be called strobes or stroboscopic lamps.

The kind of rapid flashing produced by a stroboscope (called strobe lighting) has the effect of seeming to freeze the movement of things in motion. This happens because the thing that’s moving—such as a person dancing—is only lit up for a fraction of a second. Stroboscopes look like they’re just flashing on and off, but this effect is usually produced by an electric discharge in a gas or a disc that rotates in front of a light source.

Stroboscopes are associated with their use at concerts, raves, and dance clubs, but in these cases they’re more likely to be called strobes or strobe lights. The word stroboscope is typically used when such devices are used in technical ways, such as for photography. Because they produce very short, extremely bright bursts of light, they can be used in conjunction with a camera to photograph a rapidly moving object, such as a bullet, for such a short duration that it will appear to be standing still in the resulting photo. Stroboscopes also have other scientific uses involving the measurement of vibration and other types of high-speed motion. The term stroboscope sometimes refers to more specialized devices used for these specific purposes.

Example: By using a stroboscope, we were able to capture the extremely rapid wing beats of a hummingbird.

The first records of the word stroboscope come from around the 1830s. The first part of the word comes from the Greek strobos, meaning “a twisting” or “a whirling.” The ending, -scope, is used in the names of other optical tools, such as telescope and microscope.

The adjective form of stroboscope, stroboscopic, is used in the terms stroboscopic lamp (a synonym for stroboscope) and stroboscopic microscope (a specialized microscope that uses a strobing effect to aid in observations).

What are some other forms related to stroboscope?

• stroboscopic (adjective)
• stroboscopical (adjective)
• stroboscopy (noun)

What are some synonyms for stroboscope?

• strobe light
• strobe
• stroboscopic lamp

What are some words that share a root or word element with stroboscope? 

• strobe lighting
• strobic
• strobotron
• stroboscopic microscope

What are some words that often get used in discussing stroboscope?

• lamp
• flash
• pulse
• effect
• freeze
• motion
• photograph

The word stroboscope can be used as a synonym for strobe light, but it’s usually used in a technical or scientific context.

MIT student and later professor Harold “Doc” Edgerton is noted for his pioneering work with the stroboscope, producing groundbreaking scientific research and striking works of art through his photography.

Come see our video installation of his work: https://t.co/YnvxxwEzMb pic.twitter.com/QGRpmb7g2o

— MIT Museum (@MITMuseum) October 5, 2020

@BurjKhalifa is lit by stroboscopes, that are programmed to chase up the tower or sparkle in a pattern or at random! pic.twitter.com/pTC2hm1eFV

— Downtown Dubai by Emaar (@MyDowntownDubai) September 22, 2015

Submerge Festival @SubmergeFest all kicks off today! Fill your weekend with digital art. Join us tomorrow for the UK premiere of Shadow Meadow, a choreography for stroboscopes, physically perceptible sounds, vibrating space and images. More info here: https://t.co/mNrP9Sqisi pic.twitter.com/Bw5EVByMi2

— Arnolfini (@ArnolfiniArts) March 1, 2019

Which of the following words is LEAST likely to be used to describe the lighting effect produced by a stroboscope?

A. flashing
B. pulsing
C. uninterrupted
D. intermittent