Glossary
G-2
ni.com
AC coupled
allowing the transmission of AC signals while blocking DC signals
ADC
analog-to-digital converter—an electronic device that converts an analog
voltage to a digital number
AGND
analog ground signal
ANSI
American National Standards Institute
AT bus
See
bus.
attenuation
decreasing the amplitude of a signal
auto-zeroing
the process of removing an offset error from a measurement
AWG
American Wire Gauge
B
b
bit—one binary digit, either 0 or 1
B
byte—eight related bits of data, an eight-bit binary number. Also used to
denote the amount of memory required to store one byte of data.
bandwidth
the range of frequencies present in a signal, or the range of frequencies to
which a measuring device can respond
bipolar
a signal range that includes both positive and negative values (for example,
–5 V to +5 V)
buffer
temporary storage for acquired or generated data (software)
bus
the group of signals that interconnect individual circuitry in a computer.
Typically, a bus is the expansion vehicle to which I/O or other instruments
are connected. Examples of PC buses are the AT bus (also known as the
ISA bus) and the PCI bus.
C
C
Celsius
CH
channel