oscilloscope

noun

os·cil·lo·scope | \ä-ˈsi-lə-ˌskōp,

ə-\

Definition of oscilloscope

: an instrument in which the variations in a fluctuating electrical quantity appear temporarily as a visible wave form on a display screen

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Did You Know?

In Latin oscillare means "to swing", and our word oscillation usually means "vibration" or "variation", especially in a changing flow of electricity. The oscilloscope basically draws a graph of an electrical signal. Since all kinds of physical phenomena can be converted into an electric voltage, oscilloscopes can be used to measure such things as sound, light, and heat. So an oscilloscope can analyze how one clarinet's sound is different from another's, or how one bulb's light differs from another's. Auto mechanics use oscilloscopes to measure engine vibrations; doctors use them to measure brain waves. Audio technicians use oscilloscopes to diagnose problems in audio equipment; TV and radio technicians use them to diagnose TV and radio problems. But oscilloscopes are most essential today to high-tech electronics experimentation.

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Batting a ball back and forth is one of the oldest concepts in video games, dating back to the days of William Higinbotham’s Tennis for Two oscilloscope experiments in the ‘50s. — Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, "Mario Tennis Aces review: Turning tennis into a fighting game," 22 June 2018 Of course, the game has appeared on other oscilloscope models. — John Wenz, Popular Mechanics, "The Best Way to Play 'Duck Hunt' Is On an Oscilloscope," 9 Oct. 2015 The Agilent InfiniiVision 6000 X is a $40,000 oscilloscope that hides a few easter eggs inside. — John Wenz, Popular Mechanics, "The Best Way to Play 'Duck Hunt' Is On an Oscilloscope," 9 Oct. 2015 Experiments or medical tests needed graphical or pictorial output for interpretation, often from an analog oscilloscope which plotted out a voltage or current change over time. — Ann Elsner, Smithsonian, "Polaroid Inventor Edwin Land Gave Us More Than Just Instant Photos," 18 May 2018 Still, for those who work with oscilloscopes, this might be a nice way to slack off for five minutes or so. — John Wenz, Popular Mechanics, "The Best Way to Play 'Duck Hunt' Is On an Oscilloscope," 9 Oct. 2015 For decades, research labs and medical facilities have used setups consisting of a Polaroid camera and a mounting rig to collect electrical signals displayed on oscilloscope screens. — Ann Elsner, Smithsonian, "Polaroid Inventor Edwin Land Gave Us More Than Just Instant Photos," 18 May 2018 The oscilloscope was fast enough to capture key features of the data – but recording the output for later analysis was a challenge before Land’s instant camera came along. — Ann Elsner, Smithsonian, "Polaroid Inventor Edwin Land Gave Us More Than Just Instant Photos," 18 May 2018 In a sense, that was not such a stretch of a prediction, because even in 1968, there had already been oscilloscope-style EKG displays for some time. — Stephen Wolfram, WIRED, "2001: A Space Odyssey Predicted The Future—50 Years Ago," 3 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'oscilloscope.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

30 Sep 2018

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Time Traveler for oscilloscope

The first known use of oscilloscope was in 1906

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oscilloscope

noun

os·cil·lo·scope | \ä-ˈsil-ə-ˌskōp, ə-

Medical Definition of oscilloscope

: an instrument in which the variations in a fluctuating electrical quantity appear temporarily as a visible waveform on the fluorescent screen of a cathode-ray tube

— called also cathode-ray oscilloscope