Maximum bandwidth of oscilloscope in undergraduate lab

[darkar]

Well, the lab script said a light wave with 60 MHz is too fast to be detected by oscilloscope so i did some search on the internet on the normal bandwidth(if i am rite, or it is called sampling rate?) is usuall more than 100 MHz. Doesnt this mean that measuring 60 MHz should have no problem at all? Or is that oscilloscope in undergraduate lab has lower bandwidth?

 

[nbo10]

What does "a light wave with 60 MHz" mean?

 

[chroot]

I believe you mean "a voltage signal with frequency components greater than 60 MHz," not a "light wave."

The cheapest 'scopes on the market have a bandwidth of about 60 MHz, meaning that they cannot faithfully display signals that have frequency components above 60 MHz. These 'scopes cost a thousand dollars or so.

The most expensive on the market have bandwidths of 3+ GHz. These scopes can easily cost $100,000+.

There's a good chance that your undergraduate lab uses rather cheap oscilloscopes. Generally, the bandwidth is printed prominently on the front of the instrument, by the way.

- Warren