Digital data is represented as variations in the amplitude of a carrier wave in amplitude-shift keying (ASK), a type of modulation.
In an ASK system, a symbol, representing one or more bits, is sent by transmitting a fixed-amplitude carrier wave at a fixed frequency for a specific time duration.
A simple form of ASK modulation is considered that amplitude modulates a carrier based on a direct mapping of the source data bits to the waveform symbol. The most rudimentary form of ASK is given the special name On–Off Keying (OOK) modulation.