ABSTRACT
In transmission-line calculations, the impedance concept provides an expedient means of handling most discontinuities. For the lossless line with open-circuit termination, the input impedance is a pure reactance and that the voltage and current are in time quadrature with each other at all points on the line. Several charts have been devised to expedite the determination of the impedance along a transmission line. Perhaps the most generally useful chart for this purpose is that developed by Smith. The chart is directly applicable to analysis of a lossless line but, with some auxiliary calculations, problems involving a lossy line may be solved too. The Smith chart is a nomographic means for evaluating the normalized impedance or admittance on a transmission line as a function of location. Admittance is a more convenient function to work with than impedance when the problem involves shunt rather than series combinations of network elements.
