Oscilloscope Guide.com: Oscilloscope Glossary Terms and Definitions

Oscilloscope Glossary T-Z

Slope – On a graph or an oscilloscope screen, the ratio of a vertical distance to a horizontal distance. A positive slope increases from left to right, while a negative slope decreases from left to right.

Sweep – One horizontal pass of an oscilloscope’s electron beam from left to right across the CRT screen.

Sweep Speed – Same as the time base.

Time Base – Oscilloscope circuitry that controls the timing of the sweep. The time base is set by the seconds/division control.

Trace – The shapes drawn on an analog oscilloscope cathode-ray tube (CRT) by the movement of the electron beam.

Transient – A signal measured by an oscilloscope that only occurs once (also called a single–shot event).

Trigger – The circuit that references a horizontal sweep on an oscilloscope.

Trigger Holdoff – A control that allows you to adjust the period of time after a valid trigger during which the oscilloscope cannot trigger.

Trigger Level – The voltage level that a trigger source signal must reach before the trigger circuit initiates a sweep.

Trigger Mode – A mode that determines whether or not the oscilloscope draws a waveform if it does not detect a trigger. Common trigger modes include normal and auto.

Trigger Slope – The slope that a trigger source signal must reach before the trigger circuit initiates a sweep.

Vertical Resolution – how precisely an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) in a digital oscilloscope converts input voltages into digital values, measured in bits.

Vertical Sensitivity – how much the vertical amplifier in an oscilloscope can amplify a weak signal, measured in millivolts (mV) per division.

Wave – a signal that repeats regularly over time. Common types include: sine, square, rectangular, saw-tooth, triangle, step, pulse, periodic, non-periodic, synchronous, asynchronous.

Waveform – A graphic representation of a voltage varying over time.

Waveform Capture Rate – how quickly an oscilloscope acquires waveforms, expressed as waveforms per second (wfms/s).

Waveform Point – A digital value that represents the voltage of a signal at a specific point in time. Waveform points are calculated from sample points and stored in memory.

Writing Speed – The ability of an analog oscilloscope to provide a visible trace of the movement of a signal from one point to another. This ability is restrictive for low-repetition signals that have fast-moving details, such as digital logic signals.

Z Axis – The display attribute on an oscilloscope that shows brightness variations as the trace is formed.