Glossary 
Accumulate peak acquisition mode 
A 
mode in which the oscilloscope acquires and displays a waveform that 
shows the variation extremes of several acquisitions. 
Accuracy 
The closeness of the indicated value to the true value. 
Acquisition 
The process of sampling signals from input channels, digitizing the 
samples into data points, and assembling the data points into a wave- 
form record. The waveform record is stored in memory. The trigger 
marks time zero in that process. 
Acquisition interval 
The time duration of the waveform record divided by the record length. 
The oscilloscope displays one data point for every acquisition interval. 
AC signal 
The time-variant portion of voltage or current. 
Active cursor 
The cursor that moves when you turn the cursor knob. It is indicated in 
the display by a cursor with a box around it. 
Aliasing 
A 
false representation of a signal due to insufficient sampling of high 
frequencies or fast transitions. 
A 
condition that occurs when an oscillo- 
scope digitizes at an effective sampling rate that is too slow to repro- 
duce the input signal. The waveform displayed on the oscilloscope may 
have a lower frequency than the actual input signal. 
Alternate (vertical) 
A 
vertical mode of operation for a dual-trace oscilloscope. The oscillo- 
scope makes a complete sweep of first one channel and then the other. 
This mode is generally used for 
SECIDIV settings of less (or faster) than 
1 
msldiv. 
Alternating Current (AC) 
An electric current whose instantaneous value and direction change 
periodically. 
Amplitude 
The difference between a high and a low point on a waveform. Signal 
amplitude can be measured in terms of "peak-to-peak" or "peak" for 
example. 
Attenuation 
The degree the amplitude of a signal is reduced when it passes through 
an attenuating device such as a probe or attenuator. That is, the ratio of 
the input measure to the output measure. For example, a 
10X probe will 
attenuate, or reduce, the input voltage of a signal by a factor of 10. 
2232 
User 
Manual 
G- 
1