Which waveform gradually rises and abruptly falls, or vice versa?

Which waveform gradually rises and abruptly falls, or vice versa?

• A. Sine wave
• B. Sawtooth wave
• C. Square wave
• D. Triangle wave

Answer: (B)

A waveform that climbs (or falls) gradually for most of each cycle and then makes a sudden jump at the end is the sawtooth. Its shape is a straight-line ramp with a quick reset, so you see a smooth rise or fall and then an abrupt drop (or rise) back to the starting level. This combination of a linear ramp and a sharp discontinuity is what identifies it. A sine wave is smooth and curved with no abrupt jumps. A square wave sits at a high or low level and changes state almost instantaneously, but there isn’t a gradual ramp within each cycle. A triangle wave does rise and fall linearly as well, but it changes direction at the peaks without a sudden jump, so it lacks the abrupt reset you see in a sawtooth. So the described behavior matches the sawtooth waveform.

A waveform that climbs (or falls) gradually for most of each cycle and then makes a sudden jump at the end is the sawtooth. Its shape is a straight-line ramp with a quick reset, so you see a smooth rise or fall and then an abrupt drop (or rise) back to the starting level. This combination of a linear ramp and a sharp discontinuity is what identifies it.

A sine wave is smooth and curved with no abrupt jumps. A square wave sits at a high or low level and changes state almost instantaneously, but there isn’t a gradual ramp within each cycle. A triangle wave does rise and fall linearly as well, but it changes direction at the peaks without a sudden jump, so it lacks the abrupt reset you see in a sawtooth.

So the described behavior matches the sawtooth waveform.