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18 views

Assignment 1

Uploaded by

t3chniquebeatz
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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In order to understand the term “characteristic impedance” one first needs to understand

what a uniform transmission line is and its purpose in an electrical system.

A transmission line is defined as two conductors which have a length, where one conductor
carries a signal and the remaining conductor acts as a return path for the signal [1]. An
example of a transmission line would be coaxial cable which is used in telecommunication
systems. The uniform transmission line has a constant resistance, inductance and capacitance
per unit of length [2]. In terms of characteristic impedance, an ideal uniform transmission line
is of infinite length, which means there are no reflections, as well as it being able to convey
an electrical signal from source to destination in a fixed time period regardless of changes in
the frequency of voltage or current of the signal [3]. In a practical application reflections
would interfere with the impedance of the transmission line [3]. The purpose of a
transmission line is to convey an electrical signal from one point in a system to another.

Characteristic impedance is defined as the ratio of voltage to current at any given point within
a transmission line [4]. The characteristic impedance of a transmission line is constant. This
is independent of its length, meaning that, in a transmission line, the signal being conveyed
would experience the same impedance regardless of its position in the transmission line [3].
References:

[1] E. Bogatin, “What is Charateristic Impedence”, Speeding Edge, 2000. [Online] Available:
https://www.speedingedge.com/PDF-Files/BTS002_Characteristic_Impedance.pdf [Accessed 23
March 2017].

[2] K. Hashemi, “Transmission Line Analysis”, Brandeis University, 2009. [Online] Available:
http://alignment.hep.brandeis.edu/Lab/XLine/XLine.html [Accessed 23 March 2017].

[3] D. Herres, “Understanding the Basics: What is Characteristic Impedance?”, Test and Measurement
Tips, 2014. [Online] Available: http://www.testandmeasurementtips.com/understanding-basics-
characteristic-impedance/ [Accessed 23 March 2017].

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