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Electrical & Electronics Engineering vocabulary · Signals and Analog Electronics

Filter

Meaning in electrical & electronics engineering, with examples

/ˈfɪltər/nounCommon term

In electrical & electronics engineering, filter means: A circuit that lets some frequencies pass and blocks or weakens others. Common types are low-pass, high-pass, band-pass and notch filters.

In Turkish: filtre, süzgeç

How it is used

Used in power supplies, audio, sensors, RF and EMC. Engineers design, add or tune a filter and talk about the cutoff frequency, the filter order and RC, LC or active filters. As a verb: 'filter out the noise'. A digital filter does the same job in software on sampled data.

Example sentences

  1. Add a simple RC low-pass filter in front of the ADC input.

  2. The EMI filter on the mains input keeps switching noise from getting back into the grid.

Common collocations

  • low-pass filter
  • high-pass filter
  • cutoff frequency
  • EMI filter
  • filter out
  • frequencyThe number of times a signal repeats its cycle in one second, measured in hertz (Hz). Mains electricity in Turkey has a frequency of 50 Hz.
  • noiseUnwanted random or interfering signals that mix with the signal you want and make it harder to measure or use. It can come from components, power supplies, motors or radio sources.
  • capacitorA component that stores electrical energy in an electric field between two plates. It is used to smooth supply voltages, filter noise, block DC and set timing.
  • inductorA component, usually a coil of wire, that stores energy in a magnetic field and resists changes in current. It is used in filters, switching power supplies and chokes.
  • bandwidthThe range of frequencies a circuit, instrument or channel can handle well, usually up to the point where the signal falls by 3 dB. In communications it also means data capacity.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Signals and Analog Electronics

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