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Measuring Signals

  • Page ID
    77464
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    If the signal is at steady-state, as in the case of flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS), S is best estimated as the average signal magnitude, shown below by the solid line.

    average_signal_magnitude.PNG

    If the signal is transient, as in the case of chromatographic peaks, S is best estimated as the peak height or peak area. In the figure below, the peak height is measured from the midpoint of the baseline fluctuations (bottom horizontal line) to the top of the peak.

    peak_height.PNG

    The peak area of a transient signal is the integrated response, which in this case has units of (μV*min). The peak area of this response is roughly equivalent to the area of the shaded triangle superimposed on the chromatographic peak.

    integrated_response.PNG


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