In
telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that fe ...
, a bipolar signal is a
signal
In signal processing, a signal is a function that conveys information about a phenomenon. Any quantity that can vary over space or time can be used as a signal to share messages between observers. The ''IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing'' ...
that may assume either of two polarities, neither of which is zero.
A bipolar signal may have a two-state
non-return-to-zero
In telecommunication, a non-return-to-zero (NRZ) line code is a binary code in which ones are represented by one significant condition, usually a positive voltage, while zeros are represented by some other significant condition, usually a negativ ...
(NRZ) or a three-state return-to-zero (RZ)
binary coding
A binary code represents text, computer processor instructions, or any other data using a two-symbol system. The two-symbol system used is often "0" and "1" from the binary number system. The binary code assigns a pattern of binary digits, also ...
scheme.
A bipolar signal is usually symmetrical with respect to zero amplitude, ''i.e.,'' the absolute values of the positive and negative signal states are nominally equal.
Telecommunication theory
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