An oscillograph in which the record of oscillations is continuously visible.
- cathode ray o. (CRO) the common form of o., in which a varying electrical signal (y) vertically deflects an electron beam impinging on a fluorescent screen, while some other function (x or time) deflects the beam horizontally; the result is a visual graph of y plotted against x or time with negligible distortion by inertia.
- storage o. a cathode ray o. in which the visual record of oscillations persists on the fluorescent screen until erased electrically.
* * *
os·cil·lo·scope ä-'sil-ə-.skōp, ə- n an instrument in which the variations in a fluctuating electrical quantity appear temporarily as a visible waveform on the fluorescent screen of a cathode-ray tube called also cathode-ray oscilloscope
os·cil·lo·scop·ic ä-.sil-ə-'skäp-ik, .äs-ə-lə- adj
os·cil·lo·scop·i·cal·ly -i-k(ə-)lē adv
* * *
n.
a cathode-ray tube designed to display electronically a wave form corresponding to the electrical data fed into it. Oscilloscopes are used to provide a continuous record of many different measurements, such as the activity of the heart and brain. See electrocardiography, electroencephalography.
* * *
os·cil·lo·scope (ə-silґə-skōp) [oscillo- + -scope] an instrument that displays a visual representation of electrical variations on the fluorescent screen of a cathode-ray tube.Medical dictionary. 2011.