1.
resolution; resolving power; the smallest difference a measuring instrument can detect
A technical term for the finest distinction a measuring or observational instrument can make — for example, the smallest angular separation a telescope can distinguish, the smallest change in temperature a sensor can detect, or the pixel density of a digital display. Different from file or screen "resolution" in consumer contexts, which is usually 解像度.
The higher the telescope's resolving power, the more detail you can see of distant stars.
Composed of 分解 (decomposition, separation) and 能 (ability, power). The word is built on the idea of "the ability to separate" — that is, to tell apart two things that are close together.
Usage
分解能 is a scientific and engineering term used in fields such as optics, acoustics, spectroscopy, metrology, and signal processing. It describes the smallest detectable difference along a particular axis — spatial, angular, temporal, or otherwise. Outside of technical writing it is uncommon; learners are most likely to meet it in textbooks and product specifications.
Common collocations
- 分解能が高い: to have high resolution
- 分解能が低い: to have low resolution
- 空間分解能: spatial resolution
- 時間分解能: temporal resolution
- 角度分解能: angular resolution
Similar words
- 解像度: resolution (image / display) — the everyday word used for screen resolution and digital image quality
- 精度: accuracy, precision — how close a measurement is to the true value, conceptually distinct from 分解能
- 感度: sensitivity — the smallest signal an instrument can detect, not the smallest difference it can distinguish