Questions
Question 1
Animation: Lissajous figures on an oscilloscope with 90 degrees phase shift
This question consists of a series of images (one per page) that form an animation. Flip the pages with
your fingers to view this animation (or click on the ”next” button on your viewer) frame-by-frame.
The following animation shows how two sinusoidal voltages with 90 degrees phase shift between them
can draw a Lissajous figure on the screen of an oscilloscope.
1
Sec/Div
Volts/Div A
0.5 0.2 0.1
1
2
1m
50 m
20 m
Position
50 µ
10 µ
2.5 µ
25 m
10 m
5
0.5 µ
100 m
5m
2m
10
20
250 µ
5m
0.1 µ
500 m
1
2.5
DC Gnd AC
off
0.025 µ
X-Y
Position
A B Alt Chop Add
Triggering
A
B
Alt
Line
Ext.
Volts/Div B
0.5 0.2 0.1
1
2
5
10
20
50 m
20 m
10 m
5m
2m
Position
Invert
DC Gnd AC
Intensity
Focus
Beam find
Off
Cal 1 V Gnd
Trace rot.
Norm
Auto
Single
Reset
Vhorizontal
2
Holdoff
Ext. input
AC
DC
Slope
90o phase shift between Vvertical and Vhorizontal
Vvertical
Level
LF Rej
HF Rej
Sec/Div
Volts/Div A
0.5 0.2 0.1
1
2
1m
50 m
20 m
Position
50 µ
10 µ
2.5 µ
25 m
10 m
5
0.5 µ
100 m
5m
2m
10
20
250 µ
5m
0.1 µ
500 m
1
2.5
DC Gnd AC
off
0.025 µ
X-Y
Position
A B Alt Chop Add
Triggering
A
B
Alt
Line
Ext.
Volts/Div B
0.5 0.2 0.1
1
2
5
10
20
50 m
20 m
10 m
5m
2m
Position
Invert
DC Gnd AC
Intensity
Focus
Beam find
Off
Cal 1 V Gnd
Trace rot.
Norm
Auto
Single
Reset
Vhorizontal
3
Holdoff
Ext. input
AC
DC
Slope
90o phase shift between Vvertical and Vhorizontal
Vvertical
Level
LF Rej
HF Rej
Sec/Div
Volts/Div A
0.5 0.2 0.1
1
2
1m
50 m
20 m
Position
50 µ
10 µ
2.5 µ
25 m
10 m
5
0.5 µ
100 m
5m
2m
10
20
250 µ
5m
0.1 µ
500 m
1
2.5
DC Gnd AC
off
0.025 µ
X-Y
Position
A B Alt Chop Add
Triggering
A
B
Alt
Line
Ext.
Volts/Div B
0.5 0.2 0.1
1
2
5
10
20
50 m
20 m
10 m
5m
2m
Position
Invert
DC Gnd AC
Intensity
Focus
Beam find
Off
Cal 1 V Gnd
Trace rot.
Norm
Auto
Single
Reset
Vhorizontal
4
Holdoff
Ext. input
AC
DC
Slope
90o phase shift between Vvertical and Vhorizontal
Vvertical
Level
LF Rej
HF Rej
Sec/Div
Volts/Div A
0.5 0.2 0.1
1
2
1m
50 m
20 m
Position
50 µ
10 µ
2.5 µ
25 m
10 m
5
0.5 µ
100 m
5m
2m
10
20
250 µ
5m
0.1 µ
500 m
1
2.5
DC Gnd AC
off
0.025 µ
X-Y
Position
A B Alt Chop Add
Triggering
A
B
Alt
Line
Ext.
Volts/Div B
0.5 0.2 0.1
1
2
5
10
20
50 m
20 m
10 m
5m
2m
Position
Invert
DC Gnd AC
Intensity
Focus
Beam find
Off
Cal 1 V Gnd
Trace rot.
Norm
Auto
Single
Reset
Vhorizontal
5
Holdoff
Ext. input
AC
DC
Slope
90o phase shift between Vvertical and Vhorizontal
Vvertical
Level
LF Rej
HF Rej
Sec/Div
Volts/Div A
0.5 0.2 0.1
1
2
1m
50 m
20 m
Position
50 µ
10 µ
2.5 µ
25 m
10 m
5
0.5 µ
100 m
5m
2m
10
20
250 µ
5m
0.1 µ
500 m
1
2.5
DC Gnd AC
off
0.025 µ
X-Y
Position
A B Alt Chop Add
Triggering
A
B
Alt
Line
Ext.
Volts/Div B
0.5 0.2 0.1
1
2
5
10
20
50 m
20 m
10 m
5m
2m
Position
Invert
DC Gnd AC
Intensity
Focus
Beam find
Off
Cal 1 V Gnd
Trace rot.
Norm
Auto
Single
Reset
Vhorizontal
6
Holdoff
Ext. input
AC
DC
Slope
90o phase shift between Vvertical and Vhorizontal
Vvertical
Level
LF Rej
HF Rej
Sec/Div
Volts/Div A
0.5 0.2 0.1
1
2
1m
50 m
20 m
Position
50 µ
10 µ
2.5 µ
25 m
10 m
5
0.5 µ
100 m
5m
2m
10
20
250 µ
5m
0.1 µ
500 m
1
2.5
DC Gnd AC
off
0.025 µ
X-Y
Position
A B Alt Chop Add
Triggering
A
B
Alt
Line
Ext.
Volts/Div B
0.5 0.2 0.1
1
2
5
10
20
50 m
20 m
10 m
5m
2m
Position
Invert
DC Gnd AC
Intensity
Focus
Beam find
Off
Cal 1 V Gnd
Trace rot.
Norm
Auto
Single
Reset
Vhorizontal
7
Holdoff
Ext. input
AC
DC
Slope
90o phase shift between Vvertical and Vhorizontal
Vvertical
Level
LF Rej
HF Rej
Sec/Div
Volts/Div A
0.5 0.2 0.1
1
2
1m
50 m
20 m
Position
50 µ
10 µ
2.5 µ
25 m
10 m
5
0.5 µ
100 m
5m
2m
10
20
250 µ
5m
0.1 µ
500 m
1
2.5
DC Gnd AC
off
0.025 µ
X-Y
Position
A B Alt Chop Add
Triggering
A
B
Alt
Line
Ext.
Volts/Div B
0.5 0.2 0.1
1
2
5
10
20
50 m
20 m
10 m
5m
2m
Position
Invert
DC Gnd AC
Intensity
Focus
Beam find
Off
Cal 1 V Gnd
Trace rot.
Norm
Auto
Single
Reset
Vhorizontal
8
Holdoff
Ext. input
AC
DC
Slope
90o phase shift between Vvertical and Vhorizontal
Vvertical
Level
LF Rej
HF Rej
Sec/Div
Volts/Div A
0.5 0.2 0.1
1
2
1m
50 m
20 m
Position
50 µ
10 µ
2.5 µ
25 m
10 m
5
0.5 µ
100 m
5m
2m
10
20
250 µ
5m
0.1 µ
500 m
1
2.5
DC Gnd AC
off
0.025 µ
X-Y
Position
A B Alt Chop Add
Triggering
A
B
Alt
Line
Ext.
Volts/Div B
0.5 0.2 0.1
1
2
5
10
20
50 m
20 m
10 m
5m
2m
Position
Invert
DC Gnd AC
Intensity
Focus
Beam find
Off
Cal 1 V Gnd
Trace rot.
Norm
Auto
Single
Reset
Vhorizontal
9
Holdoff
Ext. input
AC
DC
Slope
90o phase shift between Vvertical and Vhorizontal
Vvertical
Level
LF Rej
HF Rej
Sec/Div
Volts/Div A
0.5 0.2 0.1
1
2
1m
50 m
20 m
Position
50 µ
10 µ
2.5 µ
25 m
10 m
5
0.5 µ
100 m
5m
2m
10
20
250 µ
5m
0.1 µ
500 m
1
2.5
DC Gnd AC
off
0.025 µ
X-Y
Position
A B Alt Chop Add
Triggering
A
B
Alt
Line
Ext.
Volts/Div B
0.5 0.2 0.1
1
2
5
10
20
50 m
20 m
10 m
5m
2m
Position
Invert
DC Gnd AC
Intensity
Focus
Beam find
Off
Cal 1 V Gnd
Trace rot.
Norm
Auto
Single
Reset
Vhorizontal
file 03264
10
Holdoff
Ext. input
AC
DC
Slope
90o phase shift between Vvertical and Vhorizontal
Vvertical
Level
LF Rej
HF Rej
Answers
Answer 1
Nothing to note here.
11
Notes
Notes 1
The purpose of this animation is to let students study the evolution of Lissajous figures and see how they
are created from the interrelationship between two sinusoidal waveforms. Similar to experimentation in the
lab, except that here all the data collection is done visually rather than through the use of test equipment,
and the students are able to ”see” things that are invisible in real life.
12