spectroscope
an optical device for producing and observing a spectrum of light or radiation from any source, consisting essentially of a slit through which the radiation passes, a collimating lens, and an Amici prism.
Origin of spectroscope
1Other words from spectroscope
- spec·tro·scop·ic [spek-truh-skop-ik], /ˌspɛk trəˈskɒp ɪk/, spec·tro·scop·i·cal, adjective
- spec·tro·scop·i·cal·ly, adverb
Words Nearby spectroscope
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use spectroscope in a sentence
Using a spectroscope to observe starlight therefore can reveal the chemistry of the stars, exactly what Comte thought impossible.
Here are the Top 10 times scientific imagination failed | Tom Siegfried | March 31, 2022 | Science NewsNo sooner was the spectroscope invented than astronomers hastened by its aid to explore the chemical constitution of the sun.
Outlines of the Earth's History | Nathaniel Southgate ShalerIt is, however, from the employment of the micro-spectroscope that the toxicologist is likely to get most assistance.
Poisons: Their Effects and Detection | Alexander Wynter BlythThis atmosphere is shown by the spectroscope to be not unlike that of the earth, although, possibly, more dense.
A Text-Book of Astronomy | George C. ComstockTwo experiments with a spectroscope will help to make clear the meaning of the Fraunhofer lines.
Physics | Willis Eugene Tower
In the spectroscope, Mr. Huggins informs us, the spectrum is peculiar.
Half-hours with the Telescope | Richard A. Proctor
British Dictionary definitions for spectroscope
/ (ˈspɛktrəˌskəʊp) /
any of a number of instruments for dispersing electromagnetic radiation and thus forming or recording a spectrum: See also spectrometer
Origin of spectroscope
1Derived forms of spectroscope
- spectroscopic (ˌspɛktrəˈskɒpɪk) or spectroscopical, adjective
- spectroscopically, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for spectroscope
[ spĕk′trə-skōp′ ]
Any of various instruments used to analyze the component parts of a sample by separating its parts into a spectrum.♦ In a light spectroscope, light is focused into a thin beam of parallel rays by a lens, and then passed through a prism or diffraction grating that separates the light into a frequency spectrum. The intensity of light at different frequencies in the spectrum can be analyzed to determine certain properties of the source of the light, such as its chemical composition or how quickly it is moving.♦ In a mass spectroscope, sample ions are beamed through an electric or magnetic field that deflects the ions; the amount of deflection depends on the ratio of their mass to their electric charge. The ion beam is thus split into separate bands; the collection of bands is called the mass spectrum of the sample, and can be analyzed to determine the distribution of ions in the sample. Spectroscopes are also called spectrographs.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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