Article
Article
Waveform
Article By:
Lopresti, Philip V. Formerly, Engineering Research Center, AT&T Bell Laboratories, Princeton, New Jersey.
Last reviewed:January 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.741100
The pictorial representation of the form or shape of a wave, obtained by plotting the amplitude of the wave with respect to time. There are an infinite number of possible waveforms (see illustration). One such waveform is the square wave, in which a quantity such as voltage alternately assumes two discrete values during repeating periods of time. Other waveforms of particular interest in electronics are the sine wave and rectified sine wave, the sawtooth wave and triangular wave, and the arbitrary wave—a recurrent waveform which takes on an arbitrary shape over one complete cycle; this shape is then repeated in successive cycles.
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
