Glossary of Terms
- Amplitude
- This is a nonnegative scalar measure of a wave's magnitude of oscillation i.e. the magnitude of the maximum disturbance in the medium during one wave cycle.
- Artefact
- Artefacts in signal processing are any percieved distortion or data error caused by the instrument used in the observation.
- Black box
- A black box is any system in which only the imput or output characteristics are of interest i.e. the internal mechanics of the system is of no importance.
- Convolution
- Convolution is an operation that combines two functions or signals to form a function which represents the overlap between the first function as it is moved through the second function.
- Deconvolution
- Deconvolution is a process used in reversing the effects of convolution on recorded data.
- Digitisation
- This is the process of of turning an analog signal into a digital represention of that signal.
- Filtering
- This is used to separate signals that have been combined or to restore signals that have been distorted.
- Firmware
- This is software that's embedded in a hardware device.
- Hardware
- This is any physical artefact of a technology e.g. electronic or computer equipment.
- Impulse response
- A systems response to a short signal sent to it.
- Jitter
- This is an abrupt and unwanted variation of one or more signal characteristics such as the interval between successive pulses, the amplitude of successive cycles or the frequency or phase of successive cycles.
- Phase response
- This the relationship between the phase of a sinusoidal input and an output signal passing through any device which accepts an input and produces an output signal such as an amplifier or filter.
- Resolution
- This is the smallest change in stimulus that will produce a detectable change in the instrument output.
- Sampling
- This is the process of capturing the key information from a continuous signal that will allow the reconstruction of that signal from the sampled data.
- Synchronisation
- This is the process of performing two or more operations at the same time e.g. taking simultaneous sensor readings from a network of remote sensors.
- Transducer
- A transducer is a device that translates the magnitude of one quantity into another quantity for the purpose of measure or information dissemination.
- Windowing
- In signal processing this refers to the application of a windowing function to a signal.
Last Updated: 25 Mar 2010
Created: 5 Jun 2007