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oscilloscope
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cathode-ray oscilloscope Electronic oscilloscope display showing a green, stepped waveform on a grid screen, with control buttons labeled with different magnification settings on the left.
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cathode-ray oscilloscope
cathode-ray oscilloscope A cathode-ray oscilloscope.

oscilloscope

instrument
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Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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oscilloscope, device that plots the relationships between two or more variables, with the horizontal axis normally being a function of time and the vertical axis usually a function of the voltage generated by an input signal. Because almost any physical phenomenon can be converted into a corresponding electric voltage through the use of a transducer, the oscilloscope is a versatile tool in all forms of physical investigation. The German physicist Ferdinand Braun developed the first...

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