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Electrical & Electronics Engineering vocabulary · Signals and Analog Electronics

Sampling rate

Meaning in electrical & electronics engineering, with examples

nounCommon term

In electrical & electronics engineering, sampling rate means: How many times per second a signal is measured when it is converted to digital form, given in samples per second (S/s) or hertz. It must be more than twice the highest frequency in the signal.

In Turkish: örnekleme hızı, örnekleme frekansı

How it is used

Used for ADCs, oscilloscopes, audio and data acquisition. Engineers set, raise or lower the sampling rate and refer to the Nyquist rule: if the sampling rate is too low, aliasing distorts the result. Oscilloscope specifications call it 'sample rate', in MS/s or GS/s.

Example sentences

  1. We need a sampling rate of at least 10 kHz to capture the 2 kHz vibration properly.

  2. Audio CDs use a sampling rate of 44.1 kHz.

Common collocations

  • high sampling rate
  • sample rate
  • Nyquist frequency
  • increase the sampling rate
  • ADCShort for analog-to-digital converter: a circuit that measures an analog voltage and turns it into a number a processor can use. Its resolution is given in bits, for example 12-bit.
  • 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.
  • oscilloscopeAn instrument that draws a voltage as a graph over time, so you can see the shape, size and timing of a signal. Engineers often just call it a scope.
  • filterA circuit that lets some frequencies pass and blocks or weakens others. Common types are low-pass, high-pass, band-pass and notch filters.
  • signalA voltage or current that carries information, such as a sensor reading, a sound or digital data. Signals can be analog, changing smoothly, or digital, switching between fixed levels.

More terms: Signals and Analog Electronics

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