An electronic circuit that generates a periodic output, often a sinusoid or a square wave. Oscillators have a wide range of applications in electronic circuits: they are used, for example, to produce the so-called clock signals that synchronize the internal operations of all computers; they produce and decode radio signals; they produce the scanning signals for television tubes; they keep time in electronic wristwatches; and they can be used to convert signals from transducers into a readily transmitted form.