# Resolution
**Resolution** is a term with distinct meanings across law, music, and many [branches of science](https://www.edgepedia.org/branches-of-science) and technology. In its deliberative and legal senses, a resolution is a formal expression of opinion, will, or intent voted by an official body, or assembled group.[1](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/resolution) In music, it is the move of a note or chord from dissonance to consonance. In measurement and instrumentation, resolution names the ability of a system to distinguish small differences, whether in space, frequency, mass, time, or amplitude.[2](https://technav.ieee.org/area/signal-resolution/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Deliberative sense | A formal expression of opinion, will, or intent voted by an official body, or assembled group[1](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/resolution) |
| Chromatography | A characteristic of the separation of two adjacent peaks, computed from their retention distances and peak widths[3](https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/R05317) |
| Mass spectrometry | Expressed as m/Δm under a 10% valley definition, or from peak widths such as full width at half maximum (FWHM)[4](https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/R05318) |
| Spectroscopy | The wavenumber, wavelength, or frequency difference of two still distinguishable lines in a spectrum[5](https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/R05319) |
| Signal processing | The ability of a measurement or processing system to distinguish two signals close together in frequency, time, space, or amplitude[2](https://technav.ieee.org/area/signal-resolution/) |
| Imaging | A measure of image sharpness, usually expressed as the total number or density of pixels[1](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/resolution) |
## Deliberative and legal uses
In parliamentary practice, a resolution is a formal expression of opinion, will, or intent voted by an official body, or assembled group.[1](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/resolution) The everyday [New Year's resolution](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-years-resolution), a commitment an individual makes on [New Year's Day](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-years-day), shares this sense of a formally stated intent.
## Music
The dissonant element creates an expectation of movement, and the resolution supplies the tonal arrival that completes the phrase.
## Measurement in analytical chemistry
Chromatographic resolution is defined by IUPAC as a characteristic of the separation of two adjacent peaks. It is expressed by an equation combining the retention distances (in time or volume) of two eluted components A and B with their peak widths, so the number quantifies how completely neighboring peaks in a chromatogram are separated.[3](https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/R05317)
In mass spectrometry, IUPAC recognizes two families of definitions. Under the 10% valley definition, the resolution of two equal-height peaks at masses m and m − Δm is m/Δm, and it is usually a function of m.[4](https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/R05318) Peak-width definitions instead use Δm measured at 50%, 5%, or 0.5% of maximum peak height; IUPAC recommends that one of these three values always be specified. A common standard is the definition based on the full width of the peak at half its maximum height, abbreviated FWHM.[4](https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/R05318)
For spectroscopy, IUPAC defines resolution as the wavenumber, wavelength, or frequency difference of two still distinguishable lines in a spectrum.[5](https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/R05319)
## Signals and images
IEEE's technology resources describe signal resolution as the ability of a measurement or processing system to distinguish between two signals, features, or events that are close together in frequency, time, space, or amplitude.[2](https://technav.ieee.org/area/signal-resolution/) In Fourier analysis, an N-point signal recorded at sampling rate fs has a frequency bin spacing of fs/N, so finer frequency resolution requires a longer observation window, which increases N at a fixed sampling rate; a higher sampling rate alone does not reduce the bin spacing. Temporal resolution in sampling systems is limited by the sampling period (1/fs) and the bandwidth of the anti-aliasing filter.[2](https://technav.ieee.org/area/signal-resolution/) In numerical storage, resolution is described by the unit in the last place, the smallest interval a stored number can represent.[7](https://members.loria.fr/PZimmermann/talks/module2.pdf)
For images, resolution is a measure of sharpness or of the fineness with which a device such as a video display, printer, or scanner can produce or record an image, usually expressed as the total number or density of pixels.[1](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/resolution) Mathematical work on super-resolution treats the recovery of sources separated by distances above the Rayleigh limit, with bounds on the accuracy of recovered amplitudes.[6](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/forum-of-mathematics-sigma/article/mathematical-theory-of-superresolution-and-twopoint-resolution/B609909561FE92D302A69B067552F5FC)
## References
1. [Resolution – Merriam-Webster Dictionary](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/resolution)
2. [Signal Resolution | IEEE Technology Navigator](https://technav.ieee.org/area/signal-resolution/)
3. [IUPAC Gold Book – resolution (R05317)](https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/R05317)
4. [IUPAC Gold Book – resolution (R05318, mass spectrometry)](https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/R05318)
5. [IUPAC Gold Book – resolution (R05319, spectroscopy)](https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/R05319)
6. [A mathematical theory of super-resolution and two-point resolution – Forum of Mathematics, Sigma](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/forum-of-mathematics-sigma/article/mathematical-theory-of-superresolution-and-twopoint-resolution/B609909561FE92D302A69B067552F5FC)
7. [Module2 (members.loria.fr)](https://members.loria.fr/PZimmermann/talks/module2.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Law and justice › Constitutional and administrative law › Administrative law*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Sep 30, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license