First let me preface this by say that I'm not a chemist. I did however cover mass spectrometry briefly in one of my college physics classes and, more better yet, my dad IS an environmental chemist and I can remember him talking about using gas chromatographs (GC/MS) since I was growing up.
Basically, an MS is used to detect what compounds (molecules) make up a solution. The particles are shot at a sensor and depending on how much they weigh (the "mass" part of MS) they will impact a detector in different places. This information is usually shown on a graph similar to a histogram or line chart. The more times a molecule of a particular mass impacts the sensor, the higher the reading at that point in the graph, creating the "peaks" in the song. Based upon these readings, a chemist can determine precisely what molecules make up a sample and in what quantity, allowing them to know just what the unknown mixture is.
I'm surprised nobody's pointed out the response video from YouTube that shows what god's divine creation looked like before human intervention. Take a look, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLqQttJinjo
Personally, I think a lot of ID regulations use somewhat absurd standards. A day after I turned 21 I wasn't ID'd when I tried to buy beer. Later, within a year or so, I was, when I tried to buy a ticket to see an 'R' rated movie. I personally felt like yelling at the clerk then too; "I can go buy a bottle of tequila without somebody batting an eyelash and yet you don't think I'm old enough to handle this movie?" Even when a computer requires entering a birth date, I've noticed many clerks will just cheat, usually by entering 111111 (11/11/1911) but I suppose that won't work for much longer.
As a college student, funds are rather short. Of course, time is even shorter, but that won't stop me from asking for an invite, if you don't mind. bartleby84 [squiggly little a] gmail [full stop] com Muchos gracias!
At my brother's wedding reception they had mashed potato cocktails (think shrimp cocktails) with either white or purple potatoes. The one person that I found who was brave enough to try both said they tasted basically the same however.
It was interesting to see the way the light pulsated on and off as it turned. I imagine it's related to the information on this page about measuring the speed of light with chocolate chips in a microwave (seriously!).
Basically, an MS is used to detect what compounds (molecules) make up a solution. The particles are shot at a sensor and depending on how much they weigh (the "mass" part of MS) they will impact a detector in different places. This information is usually shown on a graph similar to a histogram or line chart. The more times a molecule of a particular mass impacts the sensor, the higher the reading at that point in the graph, creating the "peaks" in the song. Based upon these readings, a chemist can determine precisely what molecules make up a sample and in what quantity, allowing them to know just what the unknown mixture is.
Isn't science fun? =D