What happens to the higher frequency components of a signal when passing through an ideal lowpass filter?

In the context of signal processing, an ideal lowpass filter is designed to allow signals with frequencies lower than a certain cutoff frequency to pass through while completely attenuating frequencies higher than that cutoff. Therefore, the higher frequency components of a signal are directly affected by this filtering process.

When a signal is passed through an ideal lowpass filter, the components of the signal that exceed the defined cutoff frequency are reduced to zero in amplitude, which is what is meant by attenuation. This means that these higher frequencies do not contribute to the output of the filter, essentially rendering them nonexistent in the resultant signal.

Attenuation of higher frequencies is the primary function of a lowpass filter, distinguishing it from other types of filters, which may manipulate signal characteristics differently. Thus, the correct conclusion regarding the effect on higher frequency components when passing through an ideal lowpass filter is that they are attenuated.