Minimum detectable signal
Imagine you have a pair of really, really good ears. These ears are so good that they can hear even a teeny-tiny sound, like a pencil falling from a table to the ground. But sometimes, even with the best ears in the world, it can be hard to hear a sound if it's very, very quiet.
The same thing happens with scientific instruments that are meant to detect signals, like radios or microphones. Scientists need to know how small of a signal these instruments can detect, so they use an idea called the "minimum detectable signal."
The minimum detectable signal is basically the smallest amount of signal that an instrument can pick up, even if it's really, really quiet. It's like a challenge for the instrument: "Can you hear this sound that's so quiet you can barely even tell it's there?" If the instrument can't detect the sound, then the minimum detectable signal is too high.
Scientists use the minimum detectable signal to figure out how sensitive an instrument is, and how accurately it can pick up really small signals. They can then use this information to design even better instruments that can pick up even smaller signals, helping us learn more about the world around us.
The same thing happens with scientific instruments that are meant to detect signals, like radios or microphones. Scientists need to know how small of a signal these instruments can detect, so they use an idea called the "minimum detectable signal."
The minimum detectable signal is basically the smallest amount of signal that an instrument can pick up, even if it's really, really quiet. It's like a challenge for the instrument: "Can you hear this sound that's so quiet you can barely even tell it's there?" If the instrument can't detect the sound, then the minimum detectable signal is too high.
Scientists use the minimum detectable signal to figure out how sensitive an instrument is, and how accurately it can pick up really small signals. They can then use this information to design even better instruments that can pick up even smaller signals, helping us learn more about the world around us.