Which factors limit the accuracy and stability of an oscilloscope?

The accuracy and stability of an oscilloscope are significantly influenced by the quality of the sweep oscillator and the bandwidth of the deflection amplifier. The sweep oscillator is responsible for controlling the horizontal movement of the electron beam or the display, determining how quickly and accurately it can represent the input signal over time. If the sweep oscillator is of low quality, it can lead to horizontal distortions in the waveform shown on the display, impacting its accuracy.

Additionally, the deflection amplifier's bandwidth plays a vital role in determining the oscilloscope's ability to faithfully reproduce the input signal. A narrow bandwidth can limit the oscilloscope's capability to depict high-frequency components accurately. This limitation leads to signal distortion and a lack of fidelity in the representation of rapid changes in the signal, thus affecting the overall stability and accuracy of the measurements taken.

In contrast, while factors like input impedance, display resolution, power supply regulation, temperature, signal bandwidth, and sampling rate are also important for oscilloscope performance, they do not directly address the foundational capabilities of producing a clean and accurate representation of fast-changing signals as effectively as the quality of the sweep oscillator and deflection amplifier bandwidth do.