Signal-to-noise ratio
Signal-to-noise ratio (often abbreviated SNR or S/N) is a measure used in science and engineering to quantify how much a signal has been corrupted by noise. It is defined as the ratio of signal power to the noise power, often expressed in decibels. A ratio higher than 1:1 (greater than 0 dB) indicates more signal than noise.
Definition[edit | edit source]
The signal-to-noise ratio, the ratio of the power of a signal (meaningful information) and the power of background noise (unwanted signal), is defined as:
- SNR = P_signal / P_noise
where P is average power. Both signal and noise power must be measured at the same or equivalent points in a system, and within the same system bandwidth.
Decibels[edit | edit source]
The signal-to-noise ratio is often expressed in decibels, defined as:
- SNR_dB = 10 log10 (P_signal / P_noise)
where log10 is the base-10 logarithm. The decibel (dB) is a logarithmic unit used to express the ratio of two values of a physical quantity.
Applications[edit | edit source]
Signal-to-noise ratio is used in various fields, including:
- Telecommunications: In telecommunications, SNR is often used to compare the level of a desired signal to the level of background noise.
- Data storage: In digital data storage, SNR measures the quality of a data readout.
- Imaging: In imaging, SNR refers to physical and perceived phenomena that affect image quality.
- Audio engineering: In audio engineering, SNR measures the clarity of an audio signal.
See also[edit | edit source]
Template:Data-storage-stub Template:Imaging-stub Template:Audio-engineering-stub
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