Analog VS Digital

          However, there are instances in which the input signal is naturally discrete in form, e.g., pulses from a particle detector, or "bits" of data from a switch, keyboard, or computer. In such cases the use of digital electronics (circuits that deal with data made of 1's and 0's) is natural and convenient. Furthermore, it is often desirable to convert continuous (analog) data to digital form, and vice versa (using D/A and A/D converters), in order to perform calculations on the data with a calculator or computer or to store large quantities of data as numbers. In a typical situation a microprocessor or computer might monitor signals from an experiment or industrial process, control the experimental parameters on the basis of the data obtained, and store for future use the results collected or computed while the experimcnt is running.

          Another interesting example of the power of digital techniques is the transmission of analog signals without degradation by noise: An audio or video signal, for instance, picks up "noise" while being transmitted by cable or radio that cannot be removed. If, instead, the signal is converted to a series of numbers representing its amplitude at successive instants of time, and these numbers are transmitted as digital signals, the analog signal reconstruction at the receiving end (done with D/A converters) will be without error, providing the noise level on the transmission channel isn't high enough to prevent accurate recognition of 1's and 0's. This technique, known as PCM (pulse-code modulation), is particularly attractive where a signal must pass through a series of "repeaters," as in the case of a transcontinental telephone call, since digital regeneration at each stage guarantees noiseless transmission. The information and pictures sent back by recent deep space probes were done with PCM. Digital audio is now commonplace in the home, in the form of 12cm optical "compact discs" (CDs); these store a piece of music in the form of a stereo pair of 16-bit numbers every 23 microseconds, 6 billion bits of information in all.

          In fact, digital hardware has become so powerful that tasks that seem well suited to analog techniques are often better solved with digital methods. As an example, an analog temperature meter might incorporate a microprocessor and memory in order to improve accuracy by compensating the instrument's departure from perfect linearity. Because of the wide availability of microprocessors, such applications are becoming commonplace. Rather than attempt to enumerate what can be done with digital electronics, let's just start learning about it. Applications will emerge naturally as we go along.