`Super' scopes

Through most of the history of electrical and electronics engineering, the oscilloscope has been the single most versatile measurement instrument in the designer's arsenal of test and measuring equipment. While its basic functions have remained the same - to acquire, display, and permit analysis of time-related signals - despite the shift from an analog to a largely digital environment, the oscilloscope has taken on new levels of sophistication and versatility, thanks to IC-device advancements and circuit-design innovations. Modern oscilloscopes provide their users with more measurement power per dollar than ever before.