stroboscope

[stroh-buh-skohp, strob-uh-]

noun

1. a device for studying the motion of a body, especially a body in rapid revolution or vibration, by making the motion appear to slow down or stop, as by periodically illuminating the body or viewing it through widely spaced openings in a revolving disk.

2. Photography.

   1. Also called stroboscopic lamp. Also called strobe. Also called strobe light,. a lamp capable of producing an extremely short, brilliant burst of light, for synchronization with a camera having a high shutter speed, in order to photograph a rapidly moving object, as a bullet, for such a short duration that it will appear to be standing still.

   2. the device and equipment for holding and firing such a lamp.

3. such a lamp used for creating special lighting effects, as in a theater or discotheque or at a rock concert.

stroboscope

/ ˈstrəʊbəˌskəʊp, ˌstrəʊbəˈskɒpɪk /

noun

1. Sometimes shortened to: strobe. an instrument producing a flashing light, the frequency of which can be synchronized with some multiple of the frequency of rotation, vibration, or operation of an object, etc, making it appear stationary. It is used to determine speeds of rotation or vibration, or to adjust objects or parts

2. a similar device synchronized with the opening of the shutter of a camera so that a series of still photographs can be taken of a moving object

stroboscope

1. Any of various instruments used to observe moving objects by making them appear stationary, especially with pulsed illumination or mechanical devices that intermittently interrupt observation.

Other Word Forms

• stroboscopic adjective
• stroboscopical adjective
• stroboscopy noun
• stroboscopically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of stroboscope¹

1830–40; < Greek stróbo ( s ) action of whirling + -scope

Word History and Origins

Origin of stroboscope¹

C19: from strobo-, from Greek strobos a twisting, whirling + _-scope

Example Sentences

“The longer I looked at the stroboscope photographs the more intricate details I discovered,” she says.

From Time

On one occasion, Kemp was performing in Seville and he began spinning down the stage, a stroboscope giving his wild movements a calm suspension.

From The Guardian

It breaks down complex actions like a javelin throw, or a run-up to a high jump, into a series of static moments that unfold through video, like a stroboscope.

From BBC

This theory I verified by filling the bellows with smoke, and watching the motion of the escaping air and smoke with a stroboscope.

From Project Gutenberg

The movements of the vocal cords are so slight as to be observable only with the aid of a specially devised apparatus, the stroboscope.

From Project Gutenberg

When To Use

What is a 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.