Amplitudeinformasjon

Amplitudeinformasjon refers to the information content carried by the amplitude component of a signal. It is the part of the signal’s information that is encoded in the magnitude or envelope, as opposed to information carried by the signal’s phase or frequency.

In communication systems, amplitudeinformasjon is exploited in modulation schemes where data are represented by the carrier’s magnitude. Examples include amplitude modulation (AM), amplitude shift keying (ASK), and pulse amplitude modulation (PAM). In digital communications, discrete amplitude levels map to symbol values, allowing data to be transmitted over a channel.

Key technical considerations include how amplitude information is measured and recovered. Envelope detectors and coherent receivers may be used to extract amplitude information, with performance affected by noise, channel fading, and amplifier nonlinearity. The dynamic range and linearity of transmitters and receivers influence the fidelity with which amplitudeinformation is preserved. Amplitude distortions can degrade data integrity and require compensation or equalization.

Amplitudeinformation often interacts with other information channels. Many systems combine amplitude with phase information to improve efficiency, as in quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). In optical communications and some wireless systems, amplitude (or light intensity) is central, such as in intensity modulation with direct detection.

See also: amplitude modulation, amplitude shift keying, pulse amplitude modulation, quadrature amplitude modulation, envelope detection.