powder photography
- noun
- Archaic
:
fotografía en polvo
- The laboratory used powder photography to determine the mineral composition of the rock sample.
Examples
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The lab specializes in powder photography for mineral analysis.
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By applying powder photography, the scientist confirmed the substance was a rare mineral.
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Advancements in powder photography have improved the accuracy of crystal identification in geology.
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Have you ever used powder photography to identify crystals?
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Advancements in powder photography have improved the accuracy of crystal identification in geology.
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The laboratory used powder photography to determine the mineral composition of the rock sample.
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By applying powder photography, the scientist confirmed the substance was a rare mineral.
Synonyms
1
7.1
A way X-rays scatter from the atoms in a crystal to show its structure
A method for finding what a mineral or crystal is by using X-rays on a crushed sample
A method that uses X-rays on a powder to identify a mineral or crystal
How Specific
- Archaic
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
A learner who knows 'powder' and 'photography' would plausibly infer a general meaning like 'photographing powder' because the components combine in an obvious compositional way. However, the actual term refers to a specific technical X‑ray diffraction procedure for mineral identification, which contains specialized methodological meaning that is not recoverable from the basic words alone, so the phrase is only partially predictable.
Etymology
The noun powder photography comes from a lab method where scientists put a little powder of a mineral on a small rod and shine X-rays to make a pattern like a photograph. That picture helps them 'identify' the mineral, so the name links the powder and the image.