Uses of OscilloscopeCopy
1. What does an oscilloscope display?
A. Magnetic fields
B. Light intensity
C. Electrical waveforms
D. Mechanical vibrations
2. Which component is NOT part of a typical oscilloscope reading?
A. X-axis as time
B. Y-axis as voltage
C. Current measurement directly
D. Repeating waveform patterns
3. The horizontal axis of an oscilloscope screen typically represents:
A. Current
B. Voltage
C. Time
D. Frequency
4. The vertical axis on an oscilloscope screen represents:
A. Time
B. Temperature
C. Frequency
D. Potential difference (voltage)
5. The Y-gain setting on an oscilloscope controls:
A. Frequency of signal
B. Vertical sensitivity (voltage per division)
C. Horizontal time per division
D. Contrast of the screen
6. The timebase setting on an oscilloscope controls:
A. Vertical scale
B. Number of waveforms
C. Horizontal time per division
D. Power supply voltage
7. What is the unit of Y-gain on an oscilloscope?
A. Volt
B. Volt/division
C. Second
D. Coulomb
8. What is the unit of the timebase setting?
A. Volt
B. Coulomb
C. Second/division
D. Ampere/division
9. A waveform shows 4 vertical divisions with a Y-gain of 2 V/div. What is the peak voltage?
A. 2 V
B. 4 V
C. 6 V
D. 8 V
10. A waveform covers 5 horizontal divisions. If the timebase is 0.01 s/div, what is the period?
A. 0.05 s
B. 0.5 s
C. 0.005 s
D. 5 s
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11. If the period of a wave is 0.02 s, what is its frequency?
A. 2 Hz
B. 20 Hz
C. 50 Hz
D. 100 Hz
12. A trace shows a wave with 2 cm peak height on screen. If Y-gain = 1 V/div and 1 cm = 1 division, what is peak voltage?
A. 0.5 V
B. 1 V
C. 2 V
D. 4 V
13. A waveform repeats every 4 horizontal divisions. Timebase = 0.002 s/div. What is the frequency?
A. 125 Hz
B. 250 Hz
C. 500 Hz
D. 1000 Hz
14. The period of a signal is measured using:
A. Y-gain
B. Frequency meter
C. Timebase and horizontal scale
D. Voltmeter
15. The oscilloscope shows a constant straight horizontal line. What does this indicate?
A. A.C. waveform
B. No signal
C. Constant D.C. signal
D. High-frequency wave
16. Which of the following would cause a waveform to become vertically stretched on the oscilloscope?
A. Increase timebase
B. Decrease Y-gain
C. Increase Y-gain
D. Decrease timebase
17. To measure the potential difference of a signal, you should use:
A. Horizontal scale only
B. Timebase setting
C. Y-gain and vertical divisions
D. Total area under the curve
18. Which wave type appears as a sine wave on an oscilloscope?
A. D.C.
B. Constant voltage
C. A.C.
D. Digital pulse
19. What happens if timebase is turned off?
A. The screen turns off
B. The waveform scrolls faster
C. A vertical line appears
D. A stationary dot appears
20. The amplitude of an A.C. waveform on an oscilloscope is:
A. The full vertical height of the wave
B. The distance from peak to trough
C. The height from baseline to peak
D. The area under the wave
Answer key and explanations
1. Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Oscilloscopes display electrical waveforms by plotting voltage against time.
2. Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Oscilloscopes do not directly measure current without additional circuitry (like a shunt resistor).
3. Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Time is always on the x-axis (horizontal) in oscilloscope displays.
4. Correct Answer: D
Explanation: Voltage (p.d.) is shown on the y-axis of an oscilloscope.
5. Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Y-gain sets the voltage sensitivity — how many volts each vertical division represents.
6. Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The timebase determines how much time each horizontal division corresponds to.
7. Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Y-gain is expressed in volts per division (V/div).
8. Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Timebase is given in seconds per division (s/div).
9. Correct Answer: D
Explanation: 4 divisions × 2 V/div = 8 V peak voltage.
10. Correct Answer: A
Explanation: 5 divisions × 0.01 s/div = 0.05 s period.
11. Correct Answer: C
Explanation: f = 1 / T → 1 / 0.02 = 50 Hz.
12. Correct Answer: C
Explanation: 2 divisions × 1 V/div = 2 V peak voltage.
13. Correct Answer: B
Explanation: T = 4 × 0.002 = 0.008 s → f = 1 / 0.008 = 125 Hz.
14. Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Timebase (s/div) and number of horizontal divisions determine the period.
15. Correct Answer: C
Explanation: A straight horizontal line indicates a constant D.C. voltage (non-zero).
16. Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Increasing Y-gain stretches the waveform vertically (more volts per division shown).
17. Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Voltage = number of vertical divisions × Y-gain (V/div).
18. Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Alternating current (A.C.) produces a sine wave on an oscilloscope.
19. Correct Answer: D
Explanation: With timebase off, only voltage is shown → a stationary dot or vertical trace.
20. Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Amplitude = distance from baseline (0) to peak.