Analysis
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Analysis (from
Greek ἀνάλυσις, "a breaking up") is the process of breaking a complex topic or substance into smaller parts to gain a better understanding of it. The technique has been applied in the study of mathematics and logic since before
Aristotle, though
analysis as a formal concept is a relatively recent development.As a formal concept, the method has variously been ascribed to
Ibn al-Haytham,
(1) Descartes (
Discourse on the Method),
Galileo, and
Isaac Newton, as a practical method of physical discovery.
Use in specific fields
Chemistry
{{seealso|Analytical chemistry|List of chemical analysis methods}}The field of
chemistry uses analysis to break down
chemical processes and examine
chemical reactions between
elements of
matter. For example, analysis of the concentration of elements is important in managing a
nuclear reactor, so
nuclear scientists will analyze
neutron activation to develop discrete measurements within vast samples. A
matrix can have a considerable effect on the way a chemical analysis is conducted and the quality of its results. Analysis can be done manually or with a
device. Chemical analysis is an important element of
national security among the
major world powers with
Materials Measurement and Signature Intelligence (MASINT) capabilities.
Isotopes
{{seealso|Isotope analysis|Isotope geochemistry}}Chemists can use
isotopes to assist analysts with issues in
anthropology,
archeology,
food chemistry,
forensics,
geology, and a host of other questions of
physical science. Analysts can discern the origins of natural and man-made isotopes in the study of
environmental radioactivity.
Computer science
- Analysis of algorithms
- Competitive analysis (online algorithm), shows how online algorithms perform and demonstrates the power of randomization in algorithms
- Worst-case execution time, determines the longest time that a piece of software can take to run
- Program analysis (computer science), the process of automatically analysing the behavior of computer programs
- Static code analysis, the analysis of computer software that is performed without actually executing programs built from that software
- Syntax analysis, a process in compilers that recognizes the structure of programming languages, also known as parsing
- Semantic analysis (computer science), a pass by a compiler that adds semantical information to the parse tree and performs certain checks
- Lexical analysis, the process of processing an input sequence of characters and producing as output a sequence of symbols
- Object-oriented analysis and design, à la Booch
- Structured Systems Analysis and Design Methodology, à la Yourdon
Economics
Engineering
{{seealso|Engineering analysis}}Analysts in the field of
engineering look at
structures, mechanisms,
systems and
dimensions.
Electrical engineers analyze
systems in
electronics.
Life cycles and
system failures are broken down and studied by engineers.
Intelligence
{{seealso|Intelligence analysis}}The field of
intelligence employs analysts to break down and understand a wide array of questions.
intelligence agencies may use
heuristics,
inductive and
deductive reasoning,
social network analysis,
dynamic network analysis,
link analysis, and
brainstorming to sort through problems they face.
Military intelligence may explore issues through the use of
game theory,
Red Teaming, and
wargaming.
Signals intelligence applies
cryptanalysis and
frequency analysis to break
codes and
ciphers.
Business intelligence applies theories of
competitive intelligence analysis and
competitor analysis to resolve questions in the
marketplace.
Law enforcement intelligence applies a number of theories in
crime analysis.
Linguistics
{{seealso|Linguistics}}Linguistics began with the analysis of
Sanskrit; today it looks at individual languages and
language in general. It breaks language down and analyzes its component parts:
theory,
sounds and their meaning,
utterance usage,
word origins, the
history of words, the meaning of
words and
word combinations,
sentence construction,
basic construction beyond the sentence level,
stylistics, and
conversation. It examines the above using
statistics and modeling, and
semantics. It analyzes language in context of
anthropology,
biology,
evolution,
geography,
history,
neurology,
psychology, and
sociology. It also takes the
applied approach, looking at
individual language development and
clinical issues.
Literary criticism
- Analysis (Homer), an influential school of thought in Homeric scholarship in the 19th-20th centuries
- Psychocriticism, Charles Mauron's method based on Freud's own initial interpretations of literary works such as Hamlet
Mathematics
Music
Philosophy
Psychotherapy
Signal processing
Statistics
- Analysis of variance (ANOVA), a collection of statistical models and their associated procedures which compare means by splitting the overall observed variance into different parts
- Meta-analysis, combines the results of several studies that address a set of related research hypotheses
- Time-series analysis, methods that attempt to understand a sequence of data points spaced apart at uniform time intervals
Other
- Aura analysis, a technique in which supporters of the method claim that the body's aura, or energy field is analysed
- Bowling analysis, a notation summarizing a cricket bowler's performance
- Lithic analysis, the analysis of stone tools using basic scientific techniques
- Protocol analysis, a means for extracting persons' thoughts while they are performing a task
See also
- (portal:thinkingTopics related to Thinking|List of thinking-related topics)
- Scientific method
- Synthesis - the converse of analysis
References
-
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