intermodulation

[ in-ter-moj-uh-ley-shuhn, -mod-yuh- ]

noun

1. the production in an electrical device of frequencies that are the sums or differences of frequencies of different inputs or of their harmonics.

intermodulation

/ ˈɪntəˌmɒdjʊˈleɪʃən /

noun

1. electronics
   1. interaction between two signals in electronic apparatus such that each affects the amplitude of the other
   2. ( as modifier )

      intermodulation distortion

Word History and Origins

Origin of intermodulation¹

First recorded in 1930–35; inter- + modulation

Example Sentences

Intermodulation distortion is increasingly being employed to jam microphones used to record concert music illegally or for eavesdropping.

From Scientific American

There are a few other things that can be looked for, such as dynamic range, harmonic distortion, and intermodulation distortion, but we didn't include these results, as they just aren't as important as the others.

From Time

The conflict between Sirius and T-Mobile derives from a quirk of physics, caused by something known by radio engineers as intermodulation.

From Wall Street Journal

FWM: Four-wave mixing, an intermodulation phenomenon in nonlinear optics that will never be understood by .

From Washington Post

Since the listener knew that the lyric actually reads: "Native hills are calling/To them we belong," he was easily able to diagnose the troubles in the phonograph: limited frequency response; harmonic, intermodulation and transient distortion, peaking, and possibly flutter; nonlinearity and needle talk.

From Time Magazine Archive