Meaning & use
spectroscope
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
An instrument that splits light into its component colors so that the spectrum can be viewed directly.
Grammar: Countable: a spectroscope, two spectroscopes.
Patterns
- look through a spectroscope
- a spectroscope shows something
- use a spectroscope
The astronomer used a spectroscope to observe the star's spectrum.
A spectroscope can reveal the presence of different gases in a flame.
Students built a simple spectroscope from a cardboard tube and a diffraction grating.
Word forms
| plural | spectroscopes |
|---|
Common combinations
- direct-vision spectroscope
- A direct-vision spectroscope allows you to see the spectrum without moving your eye.
- prism spectroscope
- A prism spectroscope uses a prism to disperse light.
- through a spectroscope
- The emission lines were clearly visible through a spectroscope.
Synonyms and how they differ
- spectrometer
- A spectrometer measures and records spectral data, while a spectroscope is for direct visual observation.
Word family
- spectroscopic adjective
- Relating to a spectroscope or its use.
- spectroscopy noun
- The study of spectra, often using a spectroscope or spectrometer.
Commonly confused: spectroscope or spectrometer?
spectroscope vs spectrometer
A spectrometer measures and records light properties, while a spectroscope is for viewing the spectrum directly.
Practice
What is the main difference between a spectroscope and a spectrometer?
Choose one answer.
A spectroscope lets you see the spectrum directly, whereas a spectrometer measures and records data. The other options reverse the functions or describe unrelated differences.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “spectroscope”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.