Science glossary film: Spectrum

A continuous range of frequencies of electromagnetic radiation, such as that produced when white light is refracted through a prism. The full electromagnetic spectrum extends well beyond the visible range, from low-frequency radio waves to high-energy gamma radiation. The term spectrum is also sometimes used to refer to other distributions, such as ionic mass in a mass spectrum, or audio frequencies.

The full electromagnetic spectrum extends well beyond the visible range, from low-frequency radio waves to high-energy gamma radiation. The term spectrum is also sometimes used to refer to other distributions, such as ionic mass in a mass spectrum, or audio frequencies.