Why AM wave is multiplication of carrier and message signal?

In summary, A and B are two types of amplitude modulated waves with the same frequency. However, B has the advantage of not having any sideband frequency, allowing for a shorter bandwidth. But, A is still used more commonly because it is an up-conversion of the signal, while B is not. The sidebands of a modulated carrier wave carry the information and can even be used to transmit a signal without the carrier. This is illustrated through Fourier decomposition.
  • #1
Dark_Capacitor
4
0
Let A= (sin(x) * sin(100x)) + sin(100x).; modulation index is 1;
Let B= (sin(x) + sin (100x));
Both of these waves have same frequency and both are amplitude modulated.
When passed through an envelope detector, both will give message signal.
And B have an advantage of not having any sideband frequency. Thus allowing bandwidth to be very short.
Then why we use wave A type modulation not B. All the ssb and suppressed carrier wave also use technique A, why not B?
 
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  • #2
B is not an up-conversion of the signal you want to transmit. In other words, let's say you want to transmit a 100 kHz signal, you do not want to amplify it an send into the antenna... what you want to do is to up-convert it in frequency, and then send an electromagnetic wave of frequency e.g. > 100 MHz. If your high frequency carrier does not have sidebands, you are not transmitting informations with it.
 
  • #3
Thank you matteo137 for replying. I'm new to communication systems. Can you tell how exactly side bands carry information? All I know is that the envelope of the carrier wave has the message signal.
 
  • #4
The sidebands carry information because they ARE the information.

Think about the Fourier decomposition of the signal (hoping you are familiar with it).
Let's say your "information" is a 1 KHz signal, so the spectrum of this signal is a dirac-delta at that frequency. When you modulate a carrier (e.g. 100 MHz) with this signal, the spectrum of the modulated carrier is a dirac-delta at 100 MHz with two symmetric sidebands at +- 1 KHz (see picture). This shows you that when you use a carrier to transmit information, what you actually care are ONLY the sidebands, and this is true also for FM modulations.

There are even example of transmission techniques which suppress the carrier and one of the two sidebands before transmitting the signal through air, in such a way that you only send one useful sideband. (of course the receiver has to know the frequency of the carrier, and have a stable oscillator)

Picture AM spectrum:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amplitude_modulation#mediaviewer/File:AM_spectrum.svg
 
  • #5
Thanks man. You cleared up many things. And I familiar with Fourier analysis:oldwink:
 

1. Why is AM wave a multiplication of carrier and message signal?

AM (Amplitude Modulation) is a type of modulation in which the amplitude of the carrier signal is varied in proportion to the amplitude of the message signal being transmitted. This results in an AM wave that is a multiplication of the carrier and message signals. The multiplication process allows for the message signal to be encoded onto the carrier signal, making it possible to transmit audio or data over long distances.

2. How does the multiplication of carrier and message signal result in an AM wave?

In AM modulation, the message signal is multiplied with the high frequency carrier signal, resulting in a new wave with a variable amplitude that is proportional to the message signal. This means that when the message signal has a high amplitude, the amplitude of the carrier signal is also high, and vice versa. This amplitude variation is what makes up the AM wave.

3. Can you explain the process of demodulation in AM?

Demodulation is the process of extracting the original message signal from the AM wave. This is achieved by passing the AM wave through a diode, which removes the negative half of the wave, leaving only the positive half. This positive half contains the amplitude variations that correspond to the message signal, which can then be amplified and filtered to retrieve the original message signal.

4. What are the advantages of using AM modulation?

One of the main advantages of AM modulation is its simplicity. It only requires a simple multiplying circuit to encode the message signal onto the carrier signal, making it easy and cost-effective to implement. Additionally, AM waves are less susceptible to noise interference, making it a reliable method of transmission.

5. Are there any drawbacks to using AM modulation?

One of the main drawbacks of AM modulation is its low bandwidth efficiency. This means that it requires a relatively wide frequency band to transmit the message signal, making it less suitable for transmitting large amounts of information. It is also more susceptible to interference from other radio signals, which can affect the quality of the transmitted signal.

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