Waveform

Sine, square, triangle, and sawtooth waveforms

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A sine, square, and sawtooth wave at 440 Hz

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A composite waveform that is shaped like a teardrop.

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A waveform generated by a synthesizer

In electronics, acoustics, and related

fields, the waveform of a signal is the
shape of its graph as a function of time,
independent of its time and magnitude
scales and of any displacement in
time.[1][2]

In electronics, the term is usually applied

to periodically varying voltages, currents,
or electromagnetic fields. In acoustics, it is
usually applied to steady periodic sounds -
- variations of pressure in air or other
media. In these cases, the waveform is an
attribute that is independent of the
frequency, amplitude, or phase shift of the
signal. The term can also be used for non-
periodic signals, like chirps and pulses.
The waveform of an electrical signal can
be visualized in an oscilloscope or any
other device that can capture and plot its
value at various times, with a suitable
scales in the time and value axes. The
electrocardiograph is a medical device to
record the waveform of the electric signals
that are associated with the beating of the
heart; that waveform has important
diagnostic value. Waveform generators,
that can output a periodic voltage or
current with one of several waveforms, are
a common tool in electronics laboratories
and workshops.
The waveform of a steady periodic sound
affects its timbre. Synthesizers and
modern keyboards can generate sounds
with many complicated waveforms.[1]

Examples
Simple examples of periodic waveforms
include the following, where is time, is
wavelength, is amplitude and is phase:

Sine wave

. The

amplitude of the waveform follows a

trigonometric sine function with respect
to time.
Square wave

. This waveform is commonly used to

represent digital information. A square
wave of constant period contains odd
harmonics that decrease at
−6 dB/octave.
Triangle wave

. It contains odd harmonics that

decrease at −12 dB/octave.
Sawtooth wave
 . This looks like the teeth of a saw.
Found often in time bases for display
scanning. It is used as the starting point
for subtractive synthesis, as a sawtooth
wave of constant period contains odd
and even harmonics that decrease at −6
dB/octave.

The Fourier series describes the

decomposition of periodic waveforms,
such that any periodic waveform can be
formed by the sum of a (possibly infinite)
set of fundamental and harmonic
components. Finite-energy non-periodic
waveforms can be analyzed into sinusoids
by the Fourier transform.
Other periodic waveforms are often called
composite waveforms and can often be
described as a combination of a number
of sinusoidal waves or other basis
functions added together.

See also
AC waveform
Arbitrary waveform generator
Crest factor
Frequency domain
Phase offset modulation
Spectrum analyzer
Waveform monitor
 Waveform viewer
Wave packet

References
1. "Waveform Definition" .
techterms.com. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
2. David Crecraft, David Gorham,
Electronics, 2nd ed.,
ISBN 0748770364, CRC Press, 2002,
p. 62

Further reading
Yuchuan Wei, Qishan Zhang. Common
Waveform Analysis: A New And Practical
Generalization of Fourier Analysis.
Springer US, Aug 31, 2000
Hao He, Jian Li, and Petre Stoica.
Waveform design for active sensing
systems: a computational approach .
Cambridge University Press, 2012.
Solomon W. Golomb, and Guang Gong.
Signal design for good correlation: for
wireless communication, cryptography,
and radar . Cambridge University Press,
2005.
Jayant, Nuggehally S and Noll, Peter.
Digital coding of waveforms: principles
and applications to speech and video.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1984.
M. Soltanalian. Signal Design for Active
Sensing and Communications . Uppsala
Dissertations from the Faculty of
Science and Technology (printed by
Elanders Sverige AB), 2014.
Nadav Levanon, and Eli Mozeson. Radar
signals. Wiley. com, 2004.
Jian Li, and Petre Stoica, eds. Robust
adaptive beamforming. New Jersey:
John Wiley, 2006.
Fulvio Gini, Antonio De Maio, and Lee
Patton, eds. Waveform design and
diversity for advanced radar systems.
Institution of engineering and
technology, 2012.
John J. Benedetto, Ioannis
Konstantinidis, and Muralidhar
 Rangaswamy. "Phase-coded waveforms
and their design ." IEEE Signal
Processing Magazine, 26.1 (2009): 22-
31.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media

related to Waveforms.

Collection of single cycle waveforms

sampled from various sources

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