cathode-ray oscilloscope
- noun
- /ˈkæθoʊd-reɪ ˌɑːsɪˈloʊskoʊp/
- Archaic
:
osciloscopio de rayos catódicos
- In the electronics lab, students learned to use a cathode-ray oscilloscope to analyze signal patterns.
Examples
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The cathode-ray oscilloscope displayed the voltage waveform clearly on its screen.
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Before digital devices became common, engineers relied on a cathode-ray oscilloscope for many measurements.
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The cathode-ray oscilloscope is essential for analyzing electrical signals.
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Can you explain how a cathode-ray oscilloscope works?
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The engineer used the cathode-ray oscilloscope to visualize the electrical signals of the circuit.
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In the lab, the cathode-ray oscilloscope provided clear graphs of the sound wave patterns.
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Students learned about electronics by observing the output on the cathode-ray oscilloscope during the experiment.
Synonyms
39
7.9
An electronic tool that shows electrical signals on a screen
5
8.7
A machine that shows electrical signals as lines on a screen
1
8.4
A device that shows electrical signals as moving waves on a screen
A tool that shows and records changing electric signals on a screen
How Modern
- Specialized
5
8.7
- Archaic
Surface Forms
Morphology
cathode-ray + oscilloscope
The phrase is compositional: it denotes an oscilloscope that uses cathode rays to display signals, so the overall meaning follows directly from the constituents. Although technical vocabulary may be rare, a learner who knows 'cathode', 'ray' and 'oscilloscope' can infer the instrument's nature, making the expression transparent.
Etymology
Cathode-ray oscilloscope comes from old instruments that used a beam from a cathode-ray tube to draw a bright line on a glass screen. That moving line let engineers 'see' changing electrical 'signals', so the name means a tool that 'shows' electrical signals on a screen.