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spectroscope
spectroscope optical instrument for producing spectral lines and measuring their wavelengths and intensities, used in spectral analysis (see spectrum ). When a material is heated to incandescence it emits light that is characteristic of the atomic makeup of the material. In the original spectroscope design in the early 19th cent., light entered a slit and a collimating lens transformed the light into a thin beam of parallel rays. A prism then separated the beam into its spectrum. The observer then viewed the spectrum through a tube with a scale that was transposed up the spectrum image, enabling its direct measurement. With the development of photographic film, the more accurate spectrograph was developed. It was based on the same principle as the spectroscope, but it had a camera in place of the telescope. In recent years the electronic circuits built around the photomultiplier tube have replaced the camera, allowing real-time spectrographic analysis of far greater accuracy. Such spectrum analysis, or spectroscopy, has become an important scientific tool for analyzing the composition of unknown material. It has found applications in fields as disparate as astronomy and forensic chemistry. |
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"spectroscope." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "spectroscope." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-spectrsc.html "spectroscope." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-spectrsc.html |
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spectroscope
spectroscope An instrument used in spectroscopy, whose main features are a slit and collimator, prism, telescope, and counter. A parallel beam of radiation is passed through the prism, so dispersing different wavelengths through different angles of deviation, which can be measured.
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AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "spectroscope." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "spectroscope." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-spectroscope.html AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "spectroscope." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-spectroscope.html |
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spectroscope
spectroscope (spek-trŏ-skohp) n. an instrument that is used to split up light or other radiation into components of different wavelengths. The simplest spectroscope uses a prism, which splits white light into the rainbow colours of the visible spectrum.
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"spectroscope." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "spectroscope." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O62-spectroscope.html "spectroscope." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O62-spectroscope.html |
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spectroscope
spectroscope An instrument that produces a spectrum for visual observation. Spectroscopes are now used mainly for educational and recreational purposes; research instruments employ CCD detectors to record the spectrum, and hence are spectrographs.
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"spectroscope." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "spectroscope." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-spectroscope.html "spectroscope." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-spectroscope.html |
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spectroscope
spec·tro·scope / ˈspektrəˌskōp/ • n. an apparatus for producing and recording spectra for examination. |
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"spectroscope." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "spectroscope." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-spectroscope.html "spectroscope." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-spectroscope.html |
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