Analysis (: analyses) is the process of breaking a complex topic or substance into smaller parts in order 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.
The word comes from the Ancient Greek (analysis, "a breaking-up" or "an untying" from ana- "up, throughout" and lysis "a loosening"). From it also comes the word's plural, analyses.
As a formal concept, the method has variously been ascribed to René Descartes (Discourse on the Method), and Galileo Galilei. It has also been ascribed to Isaac Newton, in the form of a practical method of physical discovery (which he did not name).Guicciardini, N. (2016). "Newton’s Method of Analysis and Synthesis." The Cambridge Companion to Newton. edited by Rob Illiffe and George E. Smith, University of Oxford
The converse of analysis is synthesis: putting the pieces back together again in a new or different whole.Bloom, B. S., Engelhart, M. D., Furst, E. J., Hill, W. H., Krathwohl, D. R. (1964). Taxonomy of educational objectives (Vol. 2). New York: Longmans, Green.
Academic analysis Academic analysis is a systematic, methodological approach to inquiry used across scholarly disciplines to deconstruct complex ideas, texts, data, or systems. Its primary aim is to foster a deeper, evidence-based understanding, challenge assumptions, and contribute to a body of knowledge through critical examination and rigorous argumentation. This form of analysis is foundational to higher education and research, distinguished by its adherence to disciplinary conventions, peer review, and the use of established theoretical or conceptual frameworks.
Methods vary significantly by field. In the humanities, it often involves hermeneutic or discourse analysis to interpret the meaning, context, and ideology within texts and artifacts. In the social sciences, analysis frequently employs qualitative methods (e.g., thematic analysis, content analysis) and quantitative methods (e.g., statistical analysis, econometrics) to examine human behavior and societal structures. In the natural and formal sciences, the analytical process is characterized by hypothesis testing, mathematical modeling, and the reproducible analysis of empirical data.
A cornerstone of academic analysis is reflexivity, where scholars critically examine their own role, potential biases, and the influence of their theoretical position on the analytical process. The product of academic analysis is typically a sustained argument presented in a format such as a monograph, journal article, or dissertation, which is subjected to peer evaluation for validity, originality, and contribution to the field.
Humanities and social sciences
Linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of language. It involves the systematic analysis of the properties of specific languages as well as the universal characteristics of language in general, including its structure, use, and cognitive and social aspects. Linguistics explores individual languages and language in general by breaking language down into component parts for analysis. Core areas of analysis include theory, phonetics (the production and perception of speech sounds),University College Dublin, School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics. "Subfields of Linguistics." phonology (the abstract sound systems of languages and the systematic organization of sounds in a language), morphology (the structure and formation of words), the history of words and word origins, semantics (the study of linguistic meaning, including the meaning of words and word combinations), semantic analysis, syntax (the rules governing the structure and construction of sentences), pragmatics (how context contributes to meaning and how utterances are used), discourse analysis (basic construction beyond the sentence level), conversation, and stylistics.
Theoretical linguistics is concerned with developing a general framework for understanding the fundamental nature of language.Wikipedia. "Linguistics." Linguistics also encompasses the study of language change over time, known as historical linguistics.
Linguistics examines these areas using a range of methods, including tools from computational linguistics that involve computational modelling, statistics, and modeling of natural language. The field also analyses language through interdisciplinary approaches that consider its context, including anthropological linguistics (which investigates the place of language in its wider social and cultural context); biolinguistics and evolutionary linguistics; geography; sociolinguistics; psycholinguistics;CollegeVine. "What Subfields Can You Study as a Linguistics Major?" neurolinguistics and neurology; linguistic anthropology (a subfield of anthropology using anthropological methods to study language within a cultural framework);Yammering On (Academic Blog). "Anthropological Linguistics vs Sociolinguistics vs Linguistic Anthropology (ARGH!)" history; and related perspectives from anthropology, biology, evolution, psychology, and sociology.
The field takes applied approaches, utilizing scientific findings for practical purposes under the umbrella of applied linguistics. This includes understanding language acquisition and individual language development across the human lifespan, encompassing both first-language acquisition in children and second-language learning in adults. Applied linguistics also addresses clinical issues in communication disorders, applying linguistic theory and methods to their study, diagnosis, and assessment. It also includes improving language education and other applied and interdisciplinary subfields such as computational linguistics, as well as areas such as stylistics.
Literature Literary criticism is the analysis of literature. The focus can be as diverse as the analysis of Homer or Freud. While not all literary-critical methods are primarily analytical in nature, the main approach to the teaching of literature in the west since the mid-twentieth century, literary formal analysis or close reading, is. This method, rooted in the academic movement labelled The New Criticism, approaches texts – chiefly short poems such as sonnets, which by virtue of their small size and significant complexity lend themselves well to this type of analysis – as units of discourse that can be understood in themselves, without reference to biographical or historical frameworks. This method of analysis breaks up the text linguistically in a study of prosody (the formal analysis of meter) and phonic effects such as alliteration and rhyme, and cognitively in examination of the interplay of syntactic structures, figurative language, and other elements of the poem that work to produce its larger effects.
Music Musical analysis – a process attempting to answer the question "How does this music work?" Musical Analysis is a study of how the composers use the notes together to compose music. Those studying music will find differences with each composer's musical analysis, which differs depending on the culture and history of music studied. An analysis of music is meant to simplify the music for you. Schenkerian analysis Schenkerian analysis is a collection of music analysis that focuses on the production of the graphic representation. This includes both analytical procedure as well as the notational style. Simply put, it analyzes tonal music which includes all chords and tones within a composition.
Philosophy Philosophical analysis – a general term for the techniques used by philosophers Philosophical analysis refers to the clarification and composition of words put together and the entailed meaning behind them. Philosophical analysis dives deeper into the meaning of words and seeks to clarify that meaning by contrasting the various definitions. It is the study of reality, justification of claims, and the analysis of various concepts. Branches of philosophy include logic, justification, metaphysics, values and ethics. If questions can be answered empirically, meaning it can be answered by using the senses, then it is not considered philosophical. Non-philosophical questions also include events that happened in the past, or questions science or mathematics can answer. Analysis is the name of a prominent journal in philosophy.
Science and technology
Chemistry
The field of chemistry uses analysis in three ways: to identify the components of a particular chemical compound (qualitative analysis), to identify the proportions of components in a mixture (quantitative analysis), and to break down chemical processes and examine chemical reactions between elements of matter. For an example of its use, 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.
Types of Analysis Qualitative Analysis It is concerned with which components are in a given sample or compound. Example: Precipitation reaction Quantitative Analysis It is to determine the quantity of individual component present in a given sample or compound. Example: To find concentration by uv-spectrophotometer.
Isotopes
Chemists can use isotope analysis 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 Requirements analysis – encompasses those tasks that go into determining the needs or conditions to meet for a new or altered product, taking account of the possibly conflicting requirements of the various stakeholders, such as beneficiaries or users. Competitive analysis (online algorithm) – shows how online algorithms perform and demonstrates the power of randomization in algorithms 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 Program analysis (computer science) – the process of automatically analysing the behavior of computer programs Semantic analysis (computer science) – a pass by a compiler that adds semantical information to the parse tree and performs certain checks Static code analysis – the analysis of computer software that is performed without actually executing programs built from that Structured systems analysis and design methodology – à la Yourdon Syntax analysis – a process in compilers that recognizes the structure of programming languages, also known as parsing Worst-case execution time – determines the longest time that a piece of software can take to run
Engineering
Analysts in the field of engineering look at requirements, structures, mechanisms, systems and dimensions. Electrical engineers analyse systems in electronics. Life cycles and system failures are broken down and studied by engineers. It is also looking at different factors incorporated within the design.
Mathematics
Modern mathematical analysis is the study of infinite processes. It is the branch of mathematics that includes calculus. It can be applied in the study of classical concepts of mathematics, such as real numbers, complex variables, trigonometric functions, and algorithms, or of non-classical concepts like constructivism, harmonics, infinity, and vectors.
Florian Cajori explains in A History of Mathematics (1893) the difference between modern and ancient mathematical analysis, as distinct from logical analysis, as follows: