Open main menu
Home
Random
Recent changes
Special pages
Community portal
Preferences
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Incubator escapee wiki
Search
User menu
Talk
Dark mode
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Editing
Radar
(section)
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
{{short description|Object detection system using radio waves}} {{Other uses}} {{Use Canadian English|date=August 2016}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2023}} {{multiple image | total_width = 350 | align = right | direction = horizontal | image1 = Radar antenna.jpg | alt1 = A long-range radar [[antenna (electronics)|antenna]], known as ''ALTAIR'', used to detect and track space objects in conjunction with [[anti-ballistic missile|ABM]] testing at the [[Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site|Ronald Reagan Test Site]] on [[Kwajalein Atoll]].<!--Original text, please keep it simple in the lead--> | caption1 = Long-range radar [[antenna (electronics)|antenna]], used to track space objects and ballistic missiles. | image2 = Radar-hatzerim-1-1.jpg | alt2 = Israeli military radar is typical of the type of radar used for [[air traffic control]]. The antenna rotates at a steady rate, sweeping the local airspace with a narrow vertical fan-shaped beam, to detect aircraft at all altitudes.<!--Original text--> | caption2 = Radar of the type used for detection of aircraft. It rotates steadily, sweeping the airspace with a narrow beam. }} '''Radar''' is a system that uses [[radio wave]]s to determine the distance (''[[ranging]]''), [[direction (geometry)|direction]] ([[azimuth]] and [[elevation angle]]s), and [[radial velocity]] of objects relative to the site. It is a [[radiodetermination]] method<ref name="ITU-2020">{{cite book | title=Radio Regulations |chapter=Chapter I β Terminology and technical characteristics | date=2020 |author=ITU |publisher=International Telecommunications Union (ITU) | url=https://www.itu.int/pub/R-REG-RR-2020 |chapter-url=https://search.itu.int/history/HistoryDigitalCollectionDocLibrary/1.44.48.en.101.pdf | access-date=2024-03-24}}</ref> used to detect and track [[aircraft]], [[Marine radar|ships]], [[spacecraft]], [[guided missiles]], [[motor vehicle]]s, map [[Weather radar|weather formations]], and [[terrain-following radar|terrain]]. The term ''RADAR'' was coined in 1940 by the [[United States Navy]] as an [[acronym and initialism|acronym]] for "radio detection and ranging".<!--See [[MOS:EXPABBR]]--><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2alpha/alpha-fra.html?lang=fra&i=1&index=ent&__index=ent&srchtxt=radar&comencsrch.x=0&comencsrch.y=0 | title = Radar definition | publisher = Public Works and Government Services Canada | author = Translation Bureau | year = 2013 | access-date = 8 November 2013 | archive-date = 4 January 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140104204420/http://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2alpha/alpha-fra.html?lang=fra&i=1&index=ent&__index=ent&srchtxt=radar&comencsrch.x=0&comencsrch.y=0 | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>McGraw-Hill dictionary of scientific and technical terms / Daniel N. Lapedes, editor in chief. Lapedes, Daniel N. New York; Montreal : McGraw-Hill, 1976. [xv], 1634, A26 p.</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Radio Detection and Ranging |date=2 October 1943 |journal=Nature |volume=152 |issue= 3857|pages= 391β392|doi=10.1038/152391b0 |bibcode=1943Natur.152..391. |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://rscc.umn.edu/lessons/datatypes/radar |title=Remote Sensing Core Curriculum: Radio Detection and Ranging (RADAR) |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=<!--Not stated--> |website=University of Minnesota |access-date=31 May 2021 |archive-date=2 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602214933/https://rscc.umn.edu/lessons/datatypes/radar |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Duda|first1=Jeffrey D.|title=History of Radar Meteorology|url=https://meteor.geol.iastate.edu/~jdduda/portfolio/571_write_up.pdf|access-date=2 March 2023|quote=Note: the word ''radar'' is actually an acronym that stands for RAdio Detection and Ranging. It was officially coined by U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commanders Samuel M. Tucker and F.R. Furth in November 1940|archive-date=2 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302094641/https://meteor.geol.iastate.edu/~jdduda/portfolio/571_write_up.pdf|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref> The term ''radar'' has since entered English and other languages as an [[wikt:anacronym|anacronym]], a common noun, [[Acronym#All-caps style|losing all capitalization]]. A radar system consists of a [[transmitter]] producing [[electromagnetic wave]]s in the [[radio spectrum|radio]] or [[microwave]]s domain, a transmitting [[antenna (radio)|antenna]], a receiving antenna (often the same antenna is used for transmitting and receiving) and a [[radio receiver|receiver]] and [[Data processing system|processor]] to determine properties of the objects. Radio waves (pulsed or continuous) from the transmitter reflect off the objects and return to the receiver, giving information about the objects' locations and speeds. This device was developed secretly for [[military]] use by several countries in the period before and during [[World War II]]. A key development was the [[cavity magnetron]] in the [[United Kingdom]], which allowed the creation of relatively small systems with sub-meter resolution. The modern uses of radar are highly diverse, including air and terrestrial traffic control, [[radar astronomy]], [[antiaircraft warfare|air-defense systems]], [[close-in weapon system|anti-missile systems]], [[marine radar]]s to locate landmarks and other ships, aircraft anti-collision systems, [[Research vessel|ocean surveillance]] systems, outer [[space surveillance]] and [[Space rendezvous|rendezvous]] systems, [[meteorology|meteorological]] [[precipitation]] monitoring, [[radar remote sensing]], altimetry and [[flight control system]]s, [[Precision-guided munition|guided missile]] target locating systems, [[self-driving car]]s, and [[ground-penetrating radar]] for geological observations. Modern high tech radar systems use [[digital signal processing]] and [[machine learning]] and are capable of extracting useful information from very high [[noise (electronics)|noise]] levels. Other systems which are similar to radar make use of other parts of the [[electromagnetic spectrum]]. One example is [[lidar]], which uses predominantly [[infrared light]] from [[laser]]s rather than radio waves. With the emergence of driverless vehicles, radar is expected to assist the automated platform to monitor its environment, thus preventing unwanted incidents.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Fakhrul Razi Ahmad |first=Zakuan |title=Performance Assessment of an Integrated Radar Architecture for Multi-Types Frontal Object Detection for Autonomous Vehicle |journal=2018 IEEE International Conference on Automatic Control and Intelligent Systems (I2CACIS) |date=2018 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330245995 |display-authors=etal |access-date=9 January 2019 |archive-date=28 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728115405/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330245995_Performance_Assessment_of_an_Integrated_Radar_Architecture_for_Multi-Types_Frontal_Object_Detection_for_Autonomous_Vehicle |url-status=live }}</ref>
Edit summary
(Briefly describe your changes)
By publishing changes, you agree to the
Terms of Use
, and you irrevocably agree to release your contribution under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 License
and the
GFDL
. You agree that a hyperlink or URL is sufficient attribution under the Creative Commons license.
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)