Amplificeren

Amplificeren is the Dutch verb meaning to increase the amplitude or strength of a signal, quantity, or phenomenon. In everyday language it is used for making sounds louder or signals stronger, and in technical contexts it denotes producing a larger output from a smaller input. The related noun is amplificatie and the adjective amplificerend. The term derives from Latin amplificare, via Dutch adaptation.

In electronics and communications, amplifying refers to using an amplifier to increase voltage, current, or power. The resulting ratio is called gain, typically written as Vout/Vin or Iout/Iin, and may be expressed in decibels (dB) as 20 log10(Vout/Vin) for voltage gain or 10 log10(Pout/Pin) for power gain. Practical amplifiers include transistor-based stages and integrated circuits such as operational amplifiers. Important considerations include impedance matching, bandwidth, linearity, noise, and distortion.

Beyond electronics, amplificeren is used in biology (DNA amplification by PCR), medicine, acoustics (sound reinforcement), and communications to describe increasing signal strength or visibility of effects. Metaphorically, it can refer to amplifying an argument or influence.

In Dutch grammar amplificeren is a regular verb: ik amplificeer, jij amplificeert, hij amplificeert, wij amplificeren, jullie amplificeren, zij amplificeren.