A device that varies one or more properties of a signal, especially in electronics and telecommunications. Something that adjusts, controls, or varies intensity, tone, or other characteristics.
From Latin 'modulari' meaning 'to measure' or 'to regulate', from 'modulus' (a small measure). The word entered English in the 17th century in musical contexts, then expanded to electronics in the 20th century with the development of radio and telecommunications technology.
Every radio and TV signal you receive has been through multiple modulators - they're the unsung heroes that allow us to pack multiple signals into the same airwaves without interference. The concept is so fundamental that even your voice is essentially a biological modulator, varying air pressure to encode meaning.
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