What is "Height*Width at Half Height"?

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"Height*Width at Half Height" refers to a mathematical concept used in gas chromatography, where height represents the maximum value of a distribution curve and width is measured at half this maximum value. To find the width at half height, one identifies two points on the curve where the value is half of the peak height, and the distance between these points gives the width. The product of height and width at half height provides insight into the sharpness of the peak, although for a normal distribution, this product relates to the area under the curve, which remains constant. Understanding this concept is essential for analyzing the characteristics of spectral distributions in chromatography. This discussion clarifies the mathematical relationship and its application in interpreting data.
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what does it mean when it says; " height*width at half height " ?

so far i just know that height multiply with width but what does it mean with " at half height" ?


does anyone know what kind of formula is this?

thanks!
 
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If width is at half the height, that means the thing is twice as long as it is wide...
 
What is the context of this question?
 
cyby said:
What is the context of this question?


about gas chromatography...but this is a math question.

instead of writing it in words can you express it in numbers, because i still don't get what you mean with words :blushing:

thanks!
 
Well, can I look at the question verbatim please?
 
Look at the graph and determine where its maximum is. The y-value at that point (ordinate) is referred to the "height." If the spectrum (distribution) is monotonically decreasing from its maximum value then you can find two unique locations where the value of the distribution is half its maximum value. The difference in x-values (abscissas) between those points is referred to as the "width at half maximum."
 
Think of a curve such as a normal distribution. The peak is the height. You can also measure the width of the curve at half of this height. Multiplying height*(width at half height) would give you some measure of the sharpness of the peak.
 
rdt2 said:
Think of a curve such as a normal distribution. The peak is the height. You can also measure the width of the curve at half of this height. Multiplying height*(width at half height) would give you some measure of the sharpness of the peak.

Not really. In fact, for a normal distribution, the product of width and height is a measure of the area under the curve which is 1. The area, in this case is the total probability and it makes no difference how sharply peaked the curve is.
 
thanks all! :smile:
 

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