Background

{
  "id": "MLC-T-CHM-001073",
  "term": "Background",
  "field": "Chemistry",
  "definition": "The signal recorded by a detector in a nuclear analytical measurement that does not originate from the specific radionuclide of interest in the sample. This signal can arise from cosmic rays, naturally occurring radioactive materials in the environment and instrument components, or electronic noise. A background measurement is performed with a blank sample and subtracted from the sample measurement to determine the net signal.",
  "subject": "Analytical Chemistry",
  "see_also": [
    "radiation"
  ],
  "references": [
    "PAC, 1982, 54, 1533. 'Glossary of terms used in nuclear analytical chemistry (Provisional)' on page 1536 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac198254081533)"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/chemistry/background/"
}