🔍 Key Concepts

• Oscilloscope basic purpose – what quantity does it directly display on the screen? • Difference between direct measurements (what the scope actually detects) and derived quantities (what you calculate using other components, like resistors or LEDs). • How an oscilloscope is used in timing and phase measurements.

💭 Think About

• Ask yourself: What does the vertical axis of an oscilloscope actually show, and what does the horizontal axis show? • Which of these options describes something the oscilloscope is only indirectly involved in, where the key phenomenon is not electrical voltage or time? • For each choice, can you describe a realistic lab setup where you would actually do that measurement with a scope?

✅ Before You Answer

• Identify which option does not primarily rely on the oscilloscope’s ability to display voltage versus time. • Check which quantities (electron flow, phase, light velocity, voltage) are normally measured directly with an oscilloscope versus those that require specialized optical or other equipment. • Make sure at least three of the choices can be tied clearly to observing electrical waveforms on the oscilloscope’s screen.