Types of
Waves
You can
classify
most
waves
into
these
types:
-
Sine
waves
-
Square
and
rectangular
waves
-
Triangle
and
sawtooth
waves
-
Step
and
pulse
shapes
Sine
Waves
The
sine
wave
is the
fundamental
wave
shape
for
several
reasons.
It has
harmonious
mathematical
properties
- it is
the same
sine
shape
you may
have
studied
in high
school
trigonometry
class.
The
voltage
in your
wall
outlet
varies
as a
sine
wave.
Test
signals
produced
by the
oscillator
circuit
of a
signal
generator
are
often
sine
waves.
Most AC
power
sources
produce
sine
waves. (AC
stands
for
alternating
current,
although
the
voltage
alternates
too.
DC
stands
for
direct
current,
which
means a
steady
current
and
voltage,
such as
a
battery
produces.)
The
damped
sine
wave
is a
special
case you
may see
in a
circuit
that
oscillates
but
winds
down
over
time.
Following
Figure
shows
examples
of sine
and
damped
sine
waves.
Sine
and
Damped
Sine
Waves
Square
and
Rectangular
Waves
The
square
wave
is
another
common
wave
shape.
Basically,
a square
wave is
a
voltage
that
turns on
and off
(or goes
high and
low) at
regular
intervals.
It is a
standard
wave for
testing
amplifiers
- good
amplifiers
increase
the
amplitude
of a
square
wave
with
minimum
distortion.
Television,
radio,
and
computer
circuitry
often
use
square
waves
for
timing
signals.
The
rectangular
wave
is like
the
square
wave
except
that the
high and
low time
intervals
are not
of equal
length.
It is
particularly
important
when
analyzing
digital
circuitry.
Following
Figure
shows
examples
of
square
and
rectangular
waves.
Square
and
Rectangular
Waves
Sawtooth
and
Triangle
Waves
Sawtooth
and
Triangle
waves
result
from
circuits
designed
to
control
voltages
linearly,
such as
the
horizontal
sweep of
an
analog
oscilloscope
or the
raster
scan of
a
television.
The
transitions
between
voltage
levels
of these
waves
change
at a
constant
rate.
These
transitions
are
called
ramps.
Following
Figure
shows
examples
of
sawtooth
and
triangle
waves.
Sawtooth
and
Triangle
Waves
Step
and
Pulse
Shapes
Signals
such as
steps
and
pulses
that
only
occur
once are
called
single-shot
or
transient
signals.
The step
indicates
a sudden
change
in
voltage,
like
what you
would
see if
you
turned
on a
power
switch.
The
pulse
indicates
what you
would
see if
you
turned a
power
switch
on and
then off
again.
It might
represent
one bit
of
information
traveling
through
a
computer
circuit
or it
might be
a
glitch
(a
defect)
in a
circuit.
A
collection
of
pulses
travelling
together
creates
a
pulse
train.
Digital
components
in a
computer
communicate
with
each
other
using
pulses.
Pulses
are also
common
in x-ray
and
communications
equipment.
Figure 6
shows
examples
of step
and
pulse
shapes
and a
pulse
train.
Step,
Pulse,
and
Pulse
Train
Shapes
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