Electricity
In
electrical circuits,
ringing is an unwanted
oscillation of a
voltage or
current. It is caused when an electrical pulse causes the parasitic
capacitances and
inductances in the circuit (i.e. those that are not part of the design, but just by-products of the materials used to construct the circuit) to
resonate at their characteristic
frequency. Ringing artifacts are also present in
square waves.
Ringing is undesirable because it causes extra current to flow, thereby wasting energy and causing extra heating of the components; it can cause unwanted electromagnetic radiation to be emitted; and it may cause unwanted triggering of bistable elements in digital circuits.
Electronics terms
Medicine
In
hearing,
ringing is an
endaural phenomenon in which a person hears a sound, somewhat like a
sine tone, without any external
acoustic stimulation. Ringing in the
ears commonly follows exposure to loud noises, and is a sign of damage to the
hair cells of the inner
ear. Ringing in the ears is a common sort of
tinnitus.
Ornithology
Bird ringing is using individually-numbered small metal leg rings placed on
birds' legs to track their activity.