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square wave

American  

noun

Mathematics, Physics.
  1. a graph, function, vibration, etc., that is periodic and equal to one constant on one half of the period and a different constant, which may be zero, on the other half.


square wave British  

noun

  1. an oscillation, for example in voltage pulse, that alternates between two fixed values with a negligible transition time between the two, giving a rectangular waveform

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of square wave

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

That said, this Model D app comes fully stocked with 160 lush and thick hallmark Moog sounds, from buzzy and delightfully harsh leads to squelchy and echoed square wave keys.

From The Verge

In science, a “square wave” oscillates between its extremes, between the fixed minimum and fixed maximum.

From Los Angeles Times

“Nothing is perfect,” Mark de Silva writes in his debut novel, “Square Wave.”

From Los Angeles Times

In that way, "Square Wave" is like a Rorschach inkblot.

From Los Angeles Times

So, for that matter, does Bill Wood’s “Square Wave,” which sprouts, like a crop of mirrored pyramids, from a gorgeous terraced garden on I Street.

From Washington Post