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Glite Dictionary
nonlinear distortion

nonlinear distortion

8.1
An unwanted change in a signal when the output does not follow the input, often adding extra tones
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : distorsión no lineal
  • Amplifiers must be designed to minimize nonlinear distortion for high-fidelity audio reproduction.

Examples

  • The presence of nonlinear distortion can introduce unwanted harmonics into the output signal.

  • Measuring nonlinear distortion is essential when evaluating the performance of electronic filters.

  • The audio was affected by nonlinear distortion.

  • Can you explain nonlinear distortion in more detail?

  • To achieve the best sound quality, audio engineers focus on reducing nonlinear distortion in their equipment.

  • During the testing phase, we discovered that nonlinear distortion significantly impacted the clarity of the audio output.

  • The report highlighted that nonlinear distortion could lead to a degraded listening experience for users.

Synonyms

nonlinearity
vsnonlinear distortion
  • Specialized
1 8.1

In math or science, a situation where small changes cause big effects

focuses on the resulting unwanted signal change in systems rather than the abstract property
amplitude distortion
vsnonlinear distortion
  • Specialized
7.1

When an electronic device makes part of a signal louder or quieter than it should

is broader applying to any system and causing unwanted sound or signal changes

How Distorted

nonlinear distortion
  • Specialized
8.1
distortionless
  • Specialized
6.7

Surface Forms

nonlinear distortion singular
nonlinear distortions plural

Morphology

nonlinear + distortion

The noun phrase is a straightforward combination of 'nonlinear' (not linear/involving non-proportional relationships) and 'distortion' (alteration of a signal), so the meaning — distortion caused by nonlinearity where output does not scale with input — is directly inferable from the parts. This modifier+noun composition is typical and cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can reasonably deduce the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The term nonlinear distortion puts together nonlinear (literally 'not in a straight line') and distortion ('a change that makes a sound or signal wrong'). Think of an old speaker: if you push it too hard the sound gets strange and new tones appear, so nonlinear distortion means 'when what comes out does not follow what goes in and creates unwanted changes in the sound or signal'.