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.

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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

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Etymology

Origin of square wave

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

Gordon studied the strange pattern, a square wave shape, a blank, then a peak followed by a square wave shape, a blank, then a square wave, peak, and square ...

From The Scarlet Lake Mystery by Goodwin, Harold L. (Harold Leland)

When outsiders heard the melodies of Johann Sebastian Bach in a single-voice, monophonic square wave, no harmony, they were universally unfazed.

From Hackers, Heroes of the Computer Revolution Chapters 1 and 2 by Levy, Steven