It begun
from Sun spectrum, and today we can say what was eaten
and drunk on the funeral feast of King Midas
The word "spectrum" seems
to be Greek (like all unknown words) but it is not.
It has been used by Cicerone, in latin, and
used again by Newton.
Italian - Latin dictionary gives several meanings, including spettro (= ghost), simulacro
(= figure, sculpture).
Spectroscopy deal with images: a colorful rainbow,
out of a white light
In other words: spectrum is a ghost and Spectroscopy - a science on ghosts
Images of matter can
be obtained in many ways:
1. if we study light (intensity of different colors), is called optical spectroscopy
2. if distribution of masses is measured and plotted, we call it mass spectroscopy
3. if distribution of masses is obtained by fragmentation of molecule with
some projectile (like a proton), it is called more specifically "proton charge transfer mass spectroscopy"
4. if light is absorbed and molecules start to vibrate (creating a sound)
it is called photoacoustic spectroscopy and
so on....
