Geodesic Sensor Net - Glossary

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Geodesic Sensor Net Technical Manual S-MAN-200-GSNR-001 • January 31, 2007
GLOSSARY
A
Ag/AgCl See silver/silver chloride .
amp/amperage A measure of the
amount of current, or number of
electrons, moving across a point.
amplifier A circuit that increases the
voltage, current, or power of a signal.
artifact An inaccurate observation,
effect, or result, especially one resulting
from the technology used in scientific
investigation or from experimental error.
C
cable A group of two or more insulated
wires.
channel Each sensor of the Geodesic
Sensor Net is cabled into the amplifier
where its signal is converted into a
stream of digital values. Each of these
streams is the data of a channel.
CMR See
common mode rejection .
common An electrical point that
functions in much the same way that an
earth ground does, but is separated from
earth ground by an isolation barrier
(typically thousands of volts of
isolation) in the interest of safety.
common mode rejection A measure of
the attenuation of noise induced in the
signal or reference lines relative to
common. The ratio is typically
expressed in
decibels .
conductivity A measure of the
tendency of a material to transmit
electrons; the reciprocal of
impedance .
connector Any plug and socket that
links two devices together.
contact Current carrying part of a
switch, relay or connector.
current Measured in amperes, this is
the flow of electrons through a
conductor. Also know as electron flow.
D
dB See decibel .
decibel A logarithmic measure of the
ratio between two values. For electrical