frequency modulation

noun

, Electronics, Radio.

1. FM.

frequency modulation

noun

1. See amplitude modulation
   a method of transmitting information using a radio-frequency carrier wave. The frequency of the carrier wave is varied in accordance with the amplitude and polarity of the input signal, the amplitude of the carrier remaining unchanged FM Compare amplitude modulation

frequency modulation

1. A method of transmitting signals, especially in radio broadcasting, in which the value of the signal is given by the frequency of a high frequency carrier wave. In FM radio transmission, for example, the signal to be carried is a sound wave, and its increasing and decreasing value is reflected in the increasing and decreasing frequency of a radio frequency carrier wave.
2. Compare amplitude modulation

frequency modulation

1. A type of radio signal in which the frequency of the radio wave is varied to carry information from the transmitter to the receiver. ( Compare amplitude modulation (AM).)

Word History and Origins

Origin of frequency modulation¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

In his “Bird Concerto,” sampled birdsong mingles with music that mimics the sonic signatures of our feathered friends, but also the “quasi-electronic frequency modulation” of their cries.

From Washington Post