Signale

Signale are indications or transmissions used to convey information about conditions, states, or instructions. The term is the plural of Signal in German and is used across disciplines to refer to a wide range of carriers, from physical waves to biological actuations.

In information theory and communications, a signal is any observable quantity that carries information about a source. Signals can be continuous (analog) or discrete (digital). They propagate through channels such as electrical lines, optical fibers, air, or social media. Encoding, modulation, and filtering are common techniques to prepare signals for transmission and to extract information at the receiver. The quality of a communication system is often described by the signal-to-noise ratio.

In biology, signals include chemical signals (pheromones, hormones) and electrical signals (nerve impulses) that regulate behavior and physiology. Signal reception depends on receptors and decoding mechanisms, and signals may operate within or between organisms.

In technology and infrastructure, traffic signals, alarm indicators, and sensor outputs function as Signale that coordinate actions. In electronics, Signale can refer to voltage or current waveforms representing data or control information. In linguistics and semiotics, signals are signs that convey meaning within a signaling system.

Etymology: from Latin signum meaning mark, symbol. In German, Signale covers plural instances across engineering, science, and everyday usage.