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Digital vs. Analog Signals

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- We will learn the difference between analog and digital signals.
- All electronics send and store information as a series of 1s and 0s.
- Digital signals are a more reliable way to send and store information.
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Discussion Questions
- Before VideoWhy are signals important in everyday life? What are some examples?ANSWER
Signals help us convey information of all types. A signal could be a smile to let someone know you’re happy, words to ask your teacher a question, an emergency signal like a fire alarm, or an online chat message to someone else playing a video game with you.
Colors occur along a continuous spectrum of visible light that is defined by wavelength and frequency. Our eyes can distinguish about 1 million different colors. So different hues of blue have slightly different wavelengths and frequencies.
A digital clock displays exact numbers that change at set times—for example, each second, minute, or hour. The hands on a non-digital clock move constantly and indicate time by how they align with the numbers around the clock face.
The friend is talking softly, there is lots of background noise, there is a barrier between you and the friend, and so on.
Sounds are made when something causes air to vibrate. To send a sound over a long distance, it has to be recorded or converted to another form of wave.
You assign symbols like letters, numbers, or shapes to represent the things you are encoding.
- After VideoWhat is the main difference between analog and digital signals?ANSWER
Analog signals are composed of a continuous range of values, where each point can have a slightly different value. Digital signals are made up of a series of digits that are either 0 or 1.
During the process of sampling, measurements are taken along the analog signal, and those measurements are converted to binary code (0s and 1s). The closer together the samples are, the more similar the digital signal is to the analog signal.
Ones tell the computer to turn on certain circuits, and zeroes tell the computer to turn off certain circuits. Through a string of millions of 1s and 0s, a computer program can carry out very complex tasks like running a video game.
Because the values in a digital signal must be either 0 or 1, the signal can easily be corrected to eliminate noise.
Because digital signals can be corrected to remove noise, the signals can be received clearly even after travelling a very long distance.
Analog would capture the full sound of the singer’s voice and might sound more like a live performance. Digital would provide cleaner sound with less interference, would be easier to store and share, and can even allow for the singer’s voice to be adjusted or improved.
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Vocabulary
- Signal DEFINE
Anything that is used to convey information.
- Analog signal DEFINE
A signal conveyed by continuous data, often in the form of a wave.
- Digital signal DEFINE
A signal in which continuous data has been translated to a series of noncontinuous digits, like 1 and 0.
- Sampling DEFINE
The process of converting an analog signal to digital by taking values at points along the wave.
- Amplitude DEFINE
The distance from the midpoint of a wave to its crest or trough.
- Continuous DEFINE
Data in which each point can have a slightly different value, like reading temperature from a glass thermometer.
- Binary code DEFINE
Digital code made up of a string of only two digits, 1 or 0, which is the basic input and output for computers.
- Pulse DEFINE
A single vibration or short burst of a wave.
- Signal DEFINE
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