amplitude

The amplitude of a periodic variable is a measure of its change in a single period (such as time or spatial period). The amplitude of a non-periodic signal is its magnitude compared with a reference value. There are various definitions of amplitude (see below), which are all functions of the magnitude of the differences between the variable's extreme values. In older texts, the phase of a periodic function is sometimes called the amplitude.

AI overview

Amplitude measures how much a repeating wave or signal changes from its reference point—essentially the size of its fluctuations. It matters because it tells you the strength or intensity of waves and signals in everything from sound and light to electrical currents and vibrations.

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Commons category: Amplitude

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Contents

Definitions
Peak amplitude
Peak-to-peak amplitude{{anchor|Peak-to-peak}}
Semi-amplitude
Root mean square amplitude
Pulse amplitude
Ambiguity
Formal representation
Units
Amplitude envelopes
Amplitude normalization
See also
References

==Definitions== thumb|A sine wave|sinusoidal curve {{ordered list| | list_style=list-style-position:inside; margin:0; | Peak amplitude (\scriptstyle\hat u), | Peak-to-peak amplitude (\scriptstyle2\hat u), | Root mean square amplitude (\scriptstyle\hat u/\sqrt{2}), | [[Wave period (not an amplitude) }}]]