switchinduced

Switchinduced is a rarely standardized adjective used in technical discourse to describe effects, artifacts, or phenomena that arise as a result of switching actions. The term is formed from switch, in the sense of a device that opens or closes a circuit or state, and induced, meaning brought about by that action. Because there is no single formal definition, the meaning of switchinduced can vary by discipline, but it generally refers to transient or secondary effects triggered by switching.

In electronics, switchinduced effects describe transients and disturbances caused when a switch opens or closes in a circuit. Common examples include inductive kick voltages, arcing at contacts, contact bounce, switching noise and electromagnetic interference (EMI), ground bounce, and ripple in power supplies. These effects are of concern in design and measurement, and mitigation strategies include snubbers, proper layout, controlled dv/dt, and proper choice of switch components.

In computing and digital systems, switchinduced phenomena may describe overhead or artifacts that occur due to switching between processes or tasks. For example, switch-induced latency or cache misses resulting from context switches can affect real-time performance. In networking, rapid switching of routing or switching hardware may introduce brief spikes of delay or jitter, described as switchinduced latency.

In measurement, instrumentation, and mechanical devices, switchinduced wear refers to material degradation from arcing or contact chatter, while switch-induced EMI can affect sensitive sensors.

See also: switching transients, contact bounce, EMI, context switching, arcing, snubbers.