Waveform

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What Does Waveform Mean?

A waveform is a graphical representation of a signal in the form of a wave. It can be both sinusoidal as well as square shaped, depending on the type of wave generating input. The waveform depends on the properties that define the size and shape of the wave.

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Techopedia Explains Waveform

The input used to create a waveform determines its shape. Square shaped waves represent digital information in the form of a 0 or 1. However, a sinusoidal wave usually shows the exact variation that occurs in the input.

Waveforms follow a mathematical function that defines how they are represented and allowed to be interpreted by the reader. For example, a sinusoidal waveform follows a trigonometric function that allows it to take its current shape. The square waveform follows a harmonic function.

Waveforms are used to represent different things in various fields of science, including math, cosmology, medicine and biochemistry.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Specialist
Margaret Rouse
Technology Specialist

Margaret is an award-winning writer and educator known for her ability to explain complex technical topics to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles in the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret’s idea of ​​a fun day is to help IT and business professionals to learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.