What is the effect on SNR as averages increase?

As the number of averages in a signal acquisition increases, the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) improves. This is because averaging helps to reduce the impact of random noise in the data. When multiple signals are averaged, the true signal (which is consistent across the averages) combines constructively, while the random noise, which varies with each acquisition, combines destructively.

To put it simply, as you collect more data points and average them, the random fluctuations due to noise tend to cancel each other out, leading to a clearer, more defined signal. Hence, the overall quality of the signal improves, which is reflected in an increase in the SNR.

This principle is a fundamental concept in imaging and signal processing, where improving SNR is crucial for enhancing the quality of the obtained images or signals. Thus, the correct understanding is that increasing the number of averages leads to an increase in SNR, making the detection of the actual signal amidst noise much more effective.