singlepole

Singlepole is a term used in various fields to refer to a component, device, or concept that exhibits a single pole or a single dominant reactive element. The precise meaning depends on context, ranging from switches and antennas to poles of functions or theoretical magnetic monopoles.

In electrical engineering, a single-pole device is designed to control one circuit path. A common example is a single-pole, single-throw SPST switch, which opens or closes a circuit with two terminals. Relays may be described similarly when they control a single circuit path.

In control theory and signal processing, a single-pole system has a transfer function with a single pole in the complex plane, corresponding to first-order dynamics. Its impulse and step responses are exponential, characterized by a time constant.

In antenna technology, a single-pole or monopole antenna refers to a conducting element that radiates with a single pole, typically a vertical rod over a conductive ground plane. A half-wave monopole is a widely used configuration in radio communications.

In physics, the idea of a single magnetic pole is associated with magnetic monopoles; no experimental evidence confirms their existence as of today, and magnetism is observed as dipolar with paired north and south poles.

In mathematics, a pole of a complex function is a type of singularity. When the pole has order one, it is called a simple pole; some sources may also refer to this informally as a single pole.