CPS (Counts per Second)

Counts per Second – (CPS) Signal measured by ICP-MS instruments is described with ‘counts per second’ units. This refers to the number of ions that hit the instrument’s detector each second. Counts for an analyte of interest can be compared against the number of counts in a solution with a known concentration for said analyte (calibration solution) to determine concentration of test sample.

• This signal is referred to as “Intensity” by ICP-OES users.