Spectrums

A spectrum in science and mathematics is a range or distribution of values associated with a physical quantity, often continuous, such as wavelengths, frequencies, or eigenvalues. The term derives from Latin spectrum meaning "appearance" or "image," historically from the dispersion of light into component colors.

In physics, the electromagnetic spectrum encompasses all wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation, from radio waves to gamma rays. The visible spectrum is the portion detectable by the human eye. Spectroscopy studies how matter interacts with electromagnetic radiation, revealing composition, structure, and dynamics by analyzing spectral content.

In acoustics, a sound spectrum describes how sound energy is distributed across frequencies. Fourier analysis converts time-domain signals into frequency spectra, aiding fields from music to engineering.

In mathematics and linear algebra, the spectrum of an operator or matrix is the set of values such as eigenvalues or more generally spectral values. The spectrum can be partitioned into point, continuous, and residual parts, with implications for stability and functions of operators.

In other contexts, color spectrums refer to ranges of color perceptible or represented, and political or ideological spectrums describe continuous ranges of opinions or positions. The concept emphasizes continuity rather than discrete categories and is used across sciences to characterize distributions and components within a system.