Oscilloscope

An instrument that displays changing electrical signals as waveforms, allowing voltage and timing to be measured. Its horizontal and vertical scales make signal behavior visible over time.

Cathode-ray tube: An evacuated tube that uses electron beams to produce images on a phosphor-coated screen. In analog oscilloscopes, its beam traces the signal voltage against a time sweep.
Voltage: The electric potential difference between two points, measured in volts. The vertical axis usually represents voltage or a scaled version of it.
Lissajous curve: A curve formed by combining two periodic oscillations at right angles. Using two inputs in X–Y mode reveals phase and frequency relationships as Lissajous patterns.
Digital storage oscilloscope: An oscilloscope that digitizes and stores acquired waveforms for display and analysis. It is the common digital form, enabling capture of nonrepeating events.
Karl Ferdinand Braun: A German physicist who developed the cathode-ray tube and shared the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics. His cathode-ray tube provided the display technology behind early oscilloscopes.
Time base: A timing system that controls the horizontal sweep or sampling interval of an oscilloscope. Its setting determines how much signal time appears across the display.
Frequency: The number of cycles of a repeating event per unit time. Waveform spacing lets an oscilloscope reveal signal frequency and period.
Eye diagram: A display formed by superimposing repeated segments of a digital signal. It summarizes timing jitter, noise, and signal distortion in high-speed links.
Analog oscilloscope: An oscilloscope that displays signals through direct control of an electron beam. Its continuous beam display contrasts with digital sampling and stored records.
Cathode-ray oscilloscope: An oscilloscope that uses a cathode-ray tube to draw electrical waveforms. This historical instrument made electrical signals visible before digital displays.

Linked from 5 pages