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Oscilloscope

The document discusses the cathode ray oscilloscope (CRO), a scientific instrument that analyzes rapidly changing electrical signals by plotting voltage-time graphs. It explains how to use the oscilloscope to measure varying potential differences (p.d.) and time intervals, which allows for the determination of signal frequency. Additionally, it describes the oscilloscope's display characteristics and its application in visualizing sound waveforms when connected to a microphone.

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Hossain
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15 views3 pages

Oscilloscope

The document discusses the cathode ray oscilloscope (CRO), a scientific instrument that analyzes rapidly changing electrical signals by plotting voltage-time graphs. It explains how to use the oscilloscope to measure varying potential differences (p.d.) and time intervals, which allows for the determination of signal frequency. Additionally, it describes the oscilloscope's display characteristics and its application in visualizing sound waveforms when connected to a microphone.

Uploaded by

Hossain
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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OSCILLOSCOPE

The discovery of the electron led to great technological advances in electronics. Electrons moving at high speed in a vacuum
are called cathode rays, and twentieth century televisions and computer screens all contained a cathode ray tube. The cathode
ray oscilloscope (CRO) is an important scientific instrument that works in a similar way. The oscilloscope allows rapidly
changing electrical signals to be analysed by plotting a voltage–time graph on a screen. When a microphone is used to
convert a sound wave into an electrical signal, the waveform can be viewed directly on the oscilloscope screen. An
oscilloscope can be used as a voltmeter, to measure varying p.d.s, and also to measure intervals of time, enabling the
frequency of a signal to be found.
The vertical axis on an oscilloscope screen provides a measurement of p.d. and the
horizontal axis is a measure of time. The signal to be displayed or measured is
connected to the Y-input terminal of the oscilloscope. The Y-gain control amplifies
the input p.d. to make it large enough to appear a suitable size on the screen. The Y-
gain setting in volts per division or V/div allows the size of the input p.d. to be
measured. The timebase controls how fast the bright spot (the input signal) moves
from left to right. The distance moved by the spot is directly proportional to time and
so the horizontal axis becomes a time axis. The timebase setting in milliseconds per
division or ms/div allows time intervals in a varying p.d. to be measured.

With the timebase switched on, the figures below show the display on an oscilloscope screen (called traces) for three different input
p.d.s. In a, the p.d. applied to the Y-input is zero, and there is a straight line across the centre of the screen. In b, the Y-input is a constant
d.c. signal and the trace is a horizontal line displaced upwards by an amount determined by the Y-gain setting. In c, the Y-input is an
a.c. signal, so the p.d. is alternately positive and negative

USES OF AN OSCILLOSCOPE

Sound waveforms can be displayed if a microphone is connected to the Y-input terminals

Measuring time intervals and frequency


These can be measured if the oscilloscope has a calibrated timebase. For example, when the timebase is set on 10
ms/div, the spot takes 10 milliseconds to move one division horizontally across the screen. If this is the timebase
setting for the waveform in b then, since one complete wave occupies two horizontal divisions, we can say
RELEVANT QUESTION FROM QP
The photograph shows an oscilloscope.

An oscilloscope can be used to determine the frequency of a sound wave.

(a) (i) Name the piece of equipment that should be used with an oscilloscope to detect a sound wave. (1)

(ii) Describe how an oscilloscope can be used to measure the time period of a sound wave. (2)

(4)

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