Oscilloscopes

ALSO CALLED: Cathode Ray Oscilloscopes
DEFINITION: An oscilloscope is a laboratory instrument commonly used to displayand analyze the waveform of electronicsignals. In effect, the device draws a graph of the instantaneous signal voltage as a function of time.A typical oscilloscope can display alternating current (AC) orpulsating direct current (DC) waveforms having a frequency as low asapproximately 1 hertz (Hz) or as high as several megahertz (MHz).  … 
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OSCILLOSCOPES DEFINITION (continued): …  High-end oscilloscopes candisplay signals having frequencies up to several hundred gigahertz (GHz). The display is broken up intoso-called horizontal divisions (hor div) and vertical divisions (vert div). Time isdisplayed from left to right on the horizontal scale. Instantaneous voltage appearson the vertical scale, with positive values going upward and negative values goingdownward.The oldest form of oscilloscope, still used in some labs today, is known as the cathode-rayoscilloscope. It produces an image by causing a focused electron beam to travel, or sweep, in patternsacross the face … 
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