🔍 Key Concepts

• Compare the shapes to standard signal types: sine wave, square wave, triangular wave, and sawtooth (ramp) wave. • A ramp or sawtooth wave changes voltage linearly in one direction and then returns very quickly to start a new cycle. • Look closely at whether the return to the starting level is abrupt or gradual.

💭 Think About

• Which option shows a smooth, curved variation, and which show only straight-line segments? Eliminate the obviously curved one first. • Among the remaining shapes, find the one where the signal rises (or falls) in a straight line and then jumps back suddenly rather than coming back down in a symmetric way. • Does any choice show a pattern of equal up-and-down slopes, like a perfect zigzag? That one is usually called a triangular wave, not a ramp/sawtooth.

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify that the ramp/sawtooth waveform has one slow linear slope and one nearly vertical edge per cycle. • Confirm that the incorrect options either have two equal slopes (triangular), flat tops/bottoms (square), or a smooth sinusoidal curve (sine). • Before picking, trace one full cycle in each choice and ask: is there a gradual ramp with an abrupt reset? Only one option should clearly match that.