Atomic spectroscopy is the study of the electromagnetic radiation absorbed and emitted by atoms. Since unique elements have characteristic (signature) spectra, atomic spectroscopy, specifically the electromagnetic spectrum or mass spectrum, is applied for determination of elemental compositions. It can be divided by atomization source or by the type of spectroscopy used. In the latter case, the main division is between optical and mass spectrometry. Mass spectrometry generally gives significantly better analytical performance, but is also significantly more complex. This complexity translates into higher purchase costs, higher operational costs, more operator training, and a greater number of components that can potentially fail. Because optical spectroscopy is often less expensive and has performance adequate for many tasks, it is far more common[citation needed] Atomic absorption spectrometers are one of the most commonly sold and used analytical devices.

原子光譜學是研究原子吸收和發射電磁輻射的科學。由于獨特元素具有特征（特征）光譜，因此原子光譜，特別是電磁光譜或質譜，可用于測定元素組成。它可以由霧化源或光譜類型來劃分。在后一種情況下，主要分為光學光譜法和質譜法。質譜法通常能提供更好的分析性能，但也更為復雜。這種復雜性轉化為更高的購買成本、更高的運營成本、更多的運營商培訓以及更多可能失敗的組件。由于光譜學通常成本較低，性能足以完成許多任務，因此原子吸收光譜儀是最常用的分析儀器之一。