Amplifier — For other uses, see Amplifier (disambiguation). Generally, an amplifier or simply amp, is a device for increasing the power of a signal. In popular use, the term usually describes an electronic amplifier, in which the input signal is usually a… … Wikipedia
amplifier — /am pleuh fuy euhr/, n. 1. a person or thing that amplifies or enlarges. 2. an electronic component or circuit for amplifying power, current, or voltage. [1540 50; AMPLIFY + ER1] * * * Device that responds to a small input signal (voltage,… … Universalium
amplifier — 1. A device that increases the magnification of a microscope. 2. An electronic apparatus that increases the strength of input signals. image a. a device for converting a low light level fluoroscopic … Medical dictionary
Electronic amplifier — A practical amplifier circuit An electronic amplifier is a device for increasing the power of a signal. It does this by taking energy from a power supply and controlling the output to match the input signal shape but with a larger amplitude. In… … Wikipedia
Operational amplifier — A Signetics μa741 operational amplifier, one of the most successful op amps. An operational amplifier ( op amp ) is a DC coupled high gain electronic voltage amplifier with a differential input and, usually, a single ended output.[1] An op amp… … Wikipedia
Optical amplifier — An optical amplifier is a device that amplifies an optical signal directly, without the need to first convert it to an electrical signal. An optical amplifier may be thought of as a laser without an optical cavity, or one in which feedback from… … Wikipedia
Logarithmic video amplifier — A logarithmic video amplifier or LVA is typically part of radar and electronic countermeasures microwave systems and sonar navigation systems, used to convert a very large dynamic range input power to an output voltage that increases… … Wikipedia
Guitar amplifier — Mesa Boogie Mark IV, a guitar combo amplifier A guitar amplifier (or guitar amp) is an electronic amplifier designed to make the signal of an electric or acoustic guitar louder so that it will produce sound through a loudspeaker. Most guitar… … Wikipedia
Variable-gain amplifier — A variable gain or voltage controlled amplifier is an electronic amplifier that varies its gain depending on a control voltage (often abbreviated CV). VCAs have many applications, including audio level compression, synthesizers and amplitude… … Wikipedia
Audio amplifier — An audio amplifier is an electronic amplifier that amplifies low power audio signals (signals composed primarily of frequencies between 20 hertz to 20,000 hertz, the human range of hearing) to a level suitable for driving loudspeakers and is the… … Wikipedia
Buffer amplifier — A buffer amplifier (sometimes simply called a buffer) is one that provides electrical impedance transformation from one circuit to another. Two main types of buffer exist: the voltage buffer and the current buffer. Figure 1: Top: Ideal voltage… … Wikipedia