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The oscilloscope can be thought of as a plotting machine. What is plotted on the a axis? What is plotted on the y axis? If you try to look at a 6 volt signal with the "volts/div" dial set on 0.2 you don't see anything. Why not? Should you turn the dial to 2 volts/div or to 0.02 volts/div to find the signal?

2 Answers

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Final answer:

The x-axis on an oscilloscope represents time, while the y-axis represents voltage. To view a 6 volt signal when the 'volts/div' is set at 0.2, you should adjust it to 2 volts/div or higher, as the current setting is too low to display the signal's amplitude correctly.

Step-by-step explanation:

On an oscilloscope, the horizontal axis (or x-axis) typically represents time, allowing you to see how a signal changes over time. The vertical axis (or y-axis) represents voltage, displaying the amplitude of the signal. If you are attempting to view a 6 volt signal with the "volts/div" setting at 0.2 volts per division, the signal will be off-scale, because each division will represent only 0.2 volts, and a 6 volt signal would require 30 divisions to be fully displayed, which is beyond the scope of a standard oscilloscope screen.

To properly view the 6 volt signal, you should turn the dial to 2 volts/div or higher. This adjustment will ensure that the signal occupies fewer divisions on the screen, making it visible. If you set it to 0.02 volts/div, the signal would be even less visible because the signal would then require 300 divisions, which is impractical to display.

User Lalas
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Answer: The oscilloscope is not a plotting machine.

Explanation: The Oscilloscope is not a plotting machine is a device which is use to measure the frequency,period, peak to peak Voltage Vpp or any signal. That is alternating.

So, if you're such you wired your circuit whose output signal you want to measure very well and all connections and settings are done accurately, then you can reduce the volt/div below 0.2. You not seeing any signal at 0.2v/div shows that the amplitude of the signal coming into the Oscilloscope is not up to that.

User Stack Diego
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