bandwidth
bandwidth — noun
1. how much digital data a computer network, internet connection, or phone line can
how much digital data a computer network, internet connection, or phone line can carry from one place to another in a given second.
Vesna's home internet has enough bandwidth to stream three movies at the same time.
subject + has + enough/high/low bandwidth
The office Wi-Fi slowed down because too many laptops were sharing the same bandwidth.
sharing/limited bandwidth in shared networks
Video calls eat up far more bandwidth than simple email or text messages.
The school upgraded its internet last summer to get higher bandwidth for online classes.
Omar checked the router settings to see why his bandwidth had dropped so suddenly.
- throughput
more technical; the actual rate achieved, not the maximum the line allows
- data capacity
broader; covers storage as well as transfer
文法句型
high/low + bandwidth
用法筆記
Almost always uncountable. Often paired with adjectives like 'high', 'low', 'limited', 'enough', or with a measurement (e.g. '100 megabits of bandwidth').
常見錯誤
2. the time, energy, or focus a person has left for taking on extra tasks, problems
the time, energy, or focus a person has left for taking on extra tasks, problems, or feelings — used as a casual way to talk about personal limits.
Sorry, I don't have the bandwidth to plan another fundraiser this month.
have (the) bandwidth + to-infinitive
After finals week, Eitan had no emotional bandwidth left for family arguments.
emotional / mental + bandwidth
Una asked if his manager had the bandwidth to review the report before Friday.
New parents often lack the bandwidth to keep up with old hobbies.
Our small team simply doesn't have the bandwidth to take on three new clients.
文法句型
have + (the) bandwidth + to-infinitive
用法筆記
Common in workplace and self-care contexts. Distinguish from sense 1 (computing): here the subject is a person or team, and the object of effort is a task or feeling, not data.
常見錯誤
3. the whole stretch of frequencies a signal or device occupies — described as a ra
the whole stretch of frequencies a signal or device occupies — described as a range with a lower and upper limit, named so engineers know where on the dial it lives.
Each radio station is given a small bandwidth so signals do not overlap.
given / assigned + bandwidth
Engineers at JAXA measured the bandwidth of the satellite link before the rocket launch.
measure the bandwidth of + system
Dr. Nadia adjusted the antenna so its bandwidth covered both the 88 and 108 megahertz limits.
The hospital's new MRI scanner operates within a bandwidth that runs from about 60 to 70 megahertz.
- frequency range
plainer everyday phrase for the same idea
- spectrum
broader; can refer to all possible frequencies, not just the slice in use
用法筆記
Technical sense used in physics and telecommunications. Distinguish from sense 4: this sense names which slice of the spectrum is in use (defined by its lower and upper edges); sense 4 names a single number — how many Hz the slice measures across.
4. in radio, a single number that says how wide one waveband is — the gap in hertz
in radio, a single number that says how wide one waveband is — the gap in hertz between its lowest and highest frequencies.
An FM channel usually has a bandwidth of two hundred kilohertz.
bandwidth of + numeric value (channel width)
Older television channels had a bandwidth of six megahertz in the United States.
When the BBC doubled the bandwidth of its trial digital channel, listeners reported much sharper sound.
Una's amateur radio licence caps the bandwidth at three kilohertz for single-sideband voice transmissions.
- channel width
everyday equivalent in broadcasting talk
用法筆記
Mostly seen in broadcasting and radio engineering writing. The number-with-units shape ('a bandwidth of X kHz') is the giveaway for this sense. Sense 3 names the range itself (the slice of spectrum); sense 4 reduces that slice to a single width measurement.