Oscilloscope Glossary

The closeness of agreement among repeated measurements of an output for the same input value made under the same operating conditions.

Smallest portion of a signal that can be measured and displayed. Normally determined by the resolution of the anallog-to-digital converter of the input channel of the oscilloscope. A resolution of e.g. 8 bit equals 256 steps and 12 bit equals 4096 steps.

The time between application of a step input signal and the indication of its magnitude.

Serial communications interface for computers and peripherals. First introduced in 1962. Also used for communication between test instruments and PC. Meanwhile widely replaced by USB.

Defines the number of acquisitions (i.e. measurements) per second. Specified normally in MS/s (megasamples per second = 1,000,000 measurements per second).

Frequency at which analog signals are converted by the analog-to-digital converter of the input channel into digital data. The sample rate should be at least twice the highest freequency in the signal to be acquired (Nyquist).

The smallest quantity that can be measured and displayed.

SENT (Single Edge Nibble Transmission) - a serial transport protocol used for communication between sensors and a controller in automotive applications.

Time required for an analog output to reach its final value.

Spurious free dynamic Range - Ration of the rms value of the signal to the rms value of the worst spurious signal. This specification represents the smallest value of a signal that can be distinguished form a large interfering signal.

Signal to Noise and Distortion Ration - Ratio of the rms signal amplitude to the mean value of the root-sum-square of all other spectral components.

A single shot acquisition is need if the signal to be measured did occur only once or very rarely.

Maximum rate of change of output voltage per time (expressed as volt per second).

Ration of the rms value of the signal to the rms value of the worst spurious signal. This specification represents the smallest value of a signal that can be distinguished form a large interfering signal.

Time coordination of multiple instruments or functions with in a system.

Amount of drift (expressed in percent of full scale output) that results from a 1°C change in ambient temperature.

Total Harmonic Distortion - Ratio of the rms value of the fundamental signal to the mean value of the root sum square of its harmonics (normally only the first 5 harmonics). 

Total Harmonic Distortion plus Noise - THD plus all noise components.

An external stimulus that initiates an instrument function. Also used for synchronization.

According to ISO 5725-1 the trueness of a measurement refers to the closeness of the mean of the measurement results to the actual (true) value.