amplitude modulation
Britishnoun
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Abbreviation: AM. am. one of the principal methods of transmitting audio, visual, or other types of information using radio waves, the relevant signal being superimposed onto a radio-frequency carrier wave. The frequency of the carrier wave remains unchanged but its amplitude is varied in accordance with the amplitude of the input signal Compare frequency modulation
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a wave that has undergone this process
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A method of transmitting signals, such as sound or digital information, in which the value of the signal is given by the amplitude of a high frequency carrier wave. In AM 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 amplitude of the radio frequency carrier wave. In fiber optics, the carrier wave is a beam of light.
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Compare frequency modulation
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.
By contrast, the amplitude modulation of speech is typically 4-5 Hz, meaning its volume changes frequently.
From Science Daily • May 28, 2024
AM stands for amplitude modulation, used to transmit information in a radio wave.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 31, 2023
The difference between AM, or amplitude modulation, and FM, or frequency modulation, involves how sound waves are encoded into a signal that can be picked up by receivers.
From Washington Times • Jun. 6, 2023
The abbreviation AM stands for amplitude modulation, which is the method for placing information on these waves.
From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015
Eight of the targets showed a definite amplitude modulation on the echo.
From Pushbutton War by Schoenherr, John
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.