If the time base is set to 50 ms per division, how long a waveform can the technician view?

To determine how long a waveform can be viewed when the time base is set to 50 ms per division, it is essential to understand how oscilloscopes operate. The time base setting indicates how much time each horizontal division on the oscilloscope display represents.

In an oscilloscope, the screen is typically divided into several divisions. When the time base is set to 50 ms per division, each division corresponds to 50 milliseconds. The standard display consists of 8 divisions horizontally.

To find the total time duration that can be displayed, you multiply the time per division by the number of divisions visible on the screen. In this case:

50 ms/division × 10 divisions = 500 ms

This calculation shows that the maximum waveform length that can be viewed on the screen is 500 milliseconds. This reasoning highlights the importance of the time base setting in determining the overall visibility of the waveform and reinforces the understanding of how oscilloscopes are used to analyze electrical signals over a certain timeframe.