Understanding Spectrum in Physics

Study Notes

A spectrum is a range of values or frequencies that a physical phenomenon or a physical quantity can have.
It can refer to the distribution of energy or intensity of a physical phenomenon, such as light or sound, over a range of frequencies or wavelengths.

Electromagnetic Spectrum: includes all types of electromagnetic radiation, such as gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet (UV) light, visible light, infrared (IR) light, microwaves, and radio waves.
Optical Spectrum: refers to the distribution of light intensity versus wavelength, including visible light, UV, and IR.
Mass Spectrum: a plot of the intensity of ions versus their mass-to-charge ratio, used in mass spectrometry.
Sound Spectrum: a graph of the intensity of sound waves versus frequency.

Continuous Spectrum: a spectrum that has a continuous range of values or frequencies, such as the visible light spectrum.
Line Spectrum: a spectrum that consists of discrete lines or peaks, such as the emission spectrum of an atom.
Absorption Spectrum: a spectrum that shows the frequencies or wavelengths of light that are absorbed by a material, such as a gas or a molecule.

Spectroscopy: the study of the interaction between matter and electromagnetic radiation, used to analyze the composition of materials and identify chemical species.
Astronomy: the study of the spectra of celestial objects, such as stars and galaxies, to determine their composition and properties.
Medical Imaging: the use of spectra to create images of the body, such as in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET).

A spectrum is a range of values or frequencies that a physical phenomenon or physical quantity can have.
It can refer to the distribution of energy or intensity of a physical phenomenon, such as light or sound, over a range of frequencies or wavelengths.

Electromagnetic Spectrum: includes gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet (UV) light, visible light, infrared (IR) light, microwaves, and radio waves.
Optical Spectrum: refers to the distribution of light intensity versus wavelength, including visible light, UV, and IR.
Mass Spectrum: a plot of the intensity of ions versus their mass-to-charge ratio, used in mass spectrometry.
Sound Spectrum: a graph of the intensity of sound waves versus frequency.

Continuous Spectrum: has a continuous range of values or frequencies, such as the visible light spectrum.
Line Spectrum: consists of discrete lines or peaks, such as the emission spectrum of an atom.
Absorption Spectrum: shows the frequencies or wavelengths of light that are absorbed by a material, such as a gas or a molecule.

Spectroscopy: studies the interaction between matter and electromagnetic radiation, used to analyze the composition of materials and identify chemical species.
Astronomy: uses spectra to determine the composition and properties of celestial objects, such as stars and galaxies.
Medical Imaging: uses spectra to create images of the body, such as in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET).

Podcast