vågformens

Vågformens is the Swedish term for the waveform, referring to the shape of a signal as it varies over time. In signal processing and electronics, the waveform describes how a quantity such as voltage or current changes, and it influences how information is transmitted, processed, or recorded.

Common waveforms include sine, square, triangle, and sawtooth. A sine wave is a pure, single-frequency oscillation with smooth curvature. A square wave alternates between high and low levels with abrupt transitions, containing many harmonics. A triangle wave has linear ramps up and down, while a sawtooth wave features a rapid change in one direction and a gradual return in the other. Other waveforms include pulses and noise, which have irregular shapes.

Key characteristics are amplitude, frequency (or period), phase, and, for periodic waveforms, duty cycle—the fraction of the period the signal remains high. Periodic waveforms have discrete harmonic content, while aperiodic waveforms have broader spectra described by Fourier analysis.

Generation and measurement methods include analog oscillators, function generators, and digital synthesis (direct digital synthesis, DDS). Real-world waveforms may be shaped by filtering, distortion, and noise, and measured with instruments such as oscilloscopes and spectrum analyzers.

Applications span audio synthesis, communications, instrumentation, testing, and control systems. Fourier series and Fourier transforms are essential tools for analyzing and reconstructing waveforms, linking time-domain shapes to their frequency-domain content.