Which term describes the time between successive radar pulses?

Which term describes the time between successive radar pulses?

• A. Frequency
• B. Pulse duration - length of a pulse
• C. Pulse width - physical length
• D. Pulse repetition interval - time between pulse starts

Answer: (D)

The timing parameter at play is the Pulse Repetition Interval. This is the interval from the start of one pulse to the start of the next, i.e., the time between successive radar pulses. It sets how often pulses are transmitted, and its reciprocal is the Pulse Repetition Frequency (how many pulses occur per second). This is different from the pulse duration (how long a single pulse lasts) and the pulse width (often used to describe the same idea or the pulse’s spatial length). Those describe the length of one pulse, not the gap between pulses. Frequency can refer to the carrier or the rate of pulses per second in some contexts, but the specific time between starts of pulses is precisely the Pulse Repetition Interval.

The timing parameter at play is the Pulse Repetition Interval. This is the interval from the start of one pulse to the start of the next, i.e., the time between successive radar pulses. It sets how often pulses are transmitted, and its reciprocal is the Pulse Repetition Frequency (how many pulses occur per second).

This is different from the pulse duration (how long a single pulse lasts) and the pulse width (often used to describe the same idea or the pulse’s spatial length). Those describe the length of one pulse, not the gap between pulses. Frequency can refer to the carrier or the rate of pulses per second in some contexts, but the specific time between starts of pulses is precisely the Pulse Repetition Interval.