Oscilloscopes

The generic term for a pattern that repeats over time is a wave – sound waves, brain waves, ocean waves, and voltage waves are all repeating patterns. An oscilloscope measures voltage waves. One cycle of a wave is the portion of the wave that repeats. A wave- form is a graphic representation of a wave. A voltage waveform shows time on the horizontal axis and voltage on the vertical axis.

Waveform shapes tell you a great deal about a signal. Any time you see a change in the height of the wave- form, you know the voltage has changed. Any time there’s a flat horizontal line, you know that there’s no change for that length of time. Straight diagonal lines mean a linear change – rise or fall of voltage at a steady rate. Sharp angles on a waveform mean sudden change.