405:) in analog communications invariably introduce some, generally small deviation or error between the intended and actual communication. Disturbances in digital communication only result in errors when the disturbance is so large as to result in a symbol being misinterpreted as another symbol or disturbing the sequence of symbols. It is generally possible to have near-error-free digital communication. Further, techniques such as check codes may be used to
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289:), the status of each can be encoded as bits (usually 0 for released and 1 for pressed) in a single word. This is useful when combinations of key presses are meaningful, and is sometimes used for passing the status of modifier keys on a keyboard (such as shift and control). But it does not scale to support more keys than the number of bits in a single byte or word.
395:, which in this context consists of all the information that the sender and receiver of the digital communication must both possess, in advance, for the communication to be successful. Languages are generally arbitrary and specify the meaning to be assigned to particular symbol sequences, the allowed range of values, methods to be used for synchronization, etc.
296:) usually arrange these switches in a scan matrix, with the individual switches on the intersections of x and y lines. When a switch is pressed, it connects the corresponding x and y lines together. Polling (often called scanning in this case) is done by activating each x line in sequence and detecting which y lines then have a
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modulates an analog "carrier" signal (such as sound) to encode binary electrical digital information, as a series of binary digital sound pulses. A slightly earlier, surprisingly reliable version of the same concept was to bundle a sequence of audio digital "signal" and "no signal" information (i.e.
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The digital representation of a continuously variable analog value typically involves a selection of the number of symbols to be assigned to that value. The number of symbols determines the precision or resolution of the resulting datum. The difference between the actual analog value and the digital
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It is estimated that in the year 1986, less than 1% of the world's technological capacity to store information was digital and in 2007 it was already 94%. The year 2002 is assumed to be the year when humankind was able to store more information in digital than in analog format (the "beginning of the
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A symbol input device usually consists of a group of switches that are polled at regular intervals to see which switches are switched. Data will be lost if, within a single polling interval, two switches are pressed, or a switch is pressed, released, and pressed again. This polling can be done by a
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was created sometime between 1000 BC and 500 BC, it later became a form of calculation frequency. Nowadays it can be used as a very advanced, yet basic digital calculator that uses beads on rows to represent numbers. Beads only have meaning in discrete up and down states, not in analog in-between
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According to Miller, "Uncompressed digital data is very large, and in its raw form, it would actually produce a larger signal (therefore be more difficult to transfer) than analog data. However, digital data can be compressed. Compression reduces the amount of bandwidth space needed to send
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uses six digital states—dot, dash, intra-character gap (between each dot or dash), short gap (between each letter), medium gap (between words), and long gap (between sentences)—to send messages via a variety of potential carriers such as electricity or light, for example using an
444:. For example, if the actual temperature is 23.234456544453 degrees, but only two digits (23) are assigned to this parameter in a particular digital representation, the quantizing error is 0.234456544453. This property of digital communication is known as
427:
Because of the inevitable presence of noise, making many successive copies of an analog communication is infeasible because each generation increases the noise. Because digital communications are generally error-free, copies of copies can be made
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Since digital information is conveyed by the sequence in which symbols are ordered, all digital schemes have some method for determining the beginning of a sequence. In written or spoken human languages, synchronization is typically provided by
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errors, in which an extra incorrect symbol is inserted into or deleted from a digital message. Uncorrected errors in digital communications have an unpredictable and generally large impact on the information content of the
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Even though digital signals are generally associated with the binary electronic digital systems used in modern electronics and computing, digital systems are actually ancient, and need not be binary or electronic.
300:, thus which keys are pressed. When the keyboard processor detects that a key has changed state, it sends a signal to the CPU indicating the scan code of the key and its new state. The symbol is then
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information. Data can be compressed, sent, and then decompressed at the site of consumption. This makes it possible to send much more information and results in, for example,
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in reference to the fast electric pulses emitted by a device designed to aim and fire anti-aircraft guns in 1942. The term is most commonly used in
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All digital information possesses common properties that distinguish it from analog data with respect to communications:
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822:"video animation on The World's Technological Capacity to Store, Communicate, and Compute Information from 1986 to 2010"
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50:. The time shown by the digits on the face at any instant is digital data. The actual precise time is analog data.
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768:"Supporting online material for The World's Technological Capacity to Store, Communicate, and Compute Information"
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uses rods or flags held in particular positions to send messages to the receiver watching them some distance away.
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This article is about the concept in information theory and information systems. For the electronics concept, see
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Written text (due to the limited character set and the use of discrete symbols – the alphabet in most cases)
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have distinctive markings that represent letters of the alphabet to allow ships to send messages to each other.
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is perhaps the simplest non-electronic digital signal, with just two states (on and off). In particular,
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can be used for a specific application with no loss of data. However, using a standard encoding such as
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through redundancy or re-transmission. Errors in digital communications can take the form of
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Tocci, R. 2006. Digital
Systems: Principles and Applications (10th Edition). Prentice Hall.
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have to be managed during the entire lifecycle from 'birth' to the destruction of the data.
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are one of the oldest examples of a digital signal, where an analog "carrier" (smoke) is
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is problematic if a symbol such as 'ß' needs to be converted but is not in the standard.
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854:. London: Sage Publications. sec. "Convergence and the contemporary media experience".
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signals offering more room on the airwave spectrum for more television channels."
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with a blanket to generate a digital signal (puffs) that conveys information.
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Heinrich, Lutz J.; Heinzl, Armin; Roithmayr, Friedrich (29 August 2014).
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81:. The most common form of digital data in modern information systems is
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specialized processor in the device to prevent burdening the main
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For devices with only a few switches (such as the buttons on a
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141:), as fingers are often used for counting. Mathematician
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of time. An example is the air pressure variation in a
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is a naturally occurring form of digital data storage.
29:
Discrete, discontinuous representation of information
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in which a symbol is replaced by another symbol, or
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738:Martin Hilbert; Priscila López (10 February 2011).
717:(in German). Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG.
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748:. Vol. 332, no. 6025. pp. 60–65.
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379:. Machine communications typically use special
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532:uses a six-bit code rendered as dot patterns.
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73:, such as letters or digits. An example is a
349:confidentiality, integrity, and availability
65:, is information represented as a string of
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587:Comparison of analog and digital recording
796:Free access to the article through here:
335:Digital data come in these three states:
231:Learn how and when to remove this message
98:, which is represented by a value from a
125:comes from the same source as the words
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1113:Application-specific integrated circuit
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292:Devices with many switches (such as a
87:, which is represented by a string of
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828:from the original on 21 February 2013
389:All digital communications require a
1048:Three-dimensional integrated circuit
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843:
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94:Digital data can be contrasted with
542:International maritime signal flags
106:. Analog data is transmitted by an
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1060:Erasable programmable logic device
902:
25:
1407:
1095:Complex programmable logic device
876:"The three states of information"
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794:from the original on 31 May 2011.
763:from the original on 31 May 2011.
355:Properties of digital information
682:Ceruzzi, Paul E (29 June 2012).
185:
77:, which consists of a string of
1107:Field-programmable object array
1043:Mixed-signal integrated circuit
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407:detect errors and correct them
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1:
1233:Hardware description language
1101:Field-programmable gate array
852:Understanding digital culture
714:Wirtschaftsinformatik-Lexikon
668:
684:Computing: A Concise History
260:analog-to-digital conversion
243:Since symbols (for example,
177:Symbol to digital conversion
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1245:Formal equivalence checking
880:The University of Edinburgh
657:Digital-to-analog converter
572:Analog-to-digital converter
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438:representation is known as
211:the claims made and adding
147:Bell Telephone Laboratories
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1265:Hierarchical state machine
1223:Transaction-level modeling
552:"sound" and "silence") on
547:More recently invented, a
467:Historical digital systems
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1166:Digital signal processing
1151:Logic in computer science
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1077:Programmable logic device
1037:Hybrid integrated circuit
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381:synchronization sequences
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1178:Switching circuit theory
1083:Programmable Array Logic
1071:Programmable logic array
850:Miller, Vincent (2011).
1228:Register-transfer level
785:10.1126/science.1200970
754:10.1126/science.1200970
592:Data (computer science)
79:alphanumeric characters
1119:Tensor Processing Unit
554:magnetic cassette tape
51:
36:. For other uses, see
1334:Electronic literature
1288:Hardware acceleration
1156:Computer architecture
1054:Emitter-coupled logic
991:Printed circuit board
262:, such techniques as
46:
1396:Consumer electronics
1260:Finite-state machine
1238:High-level synthesis
1173:Circuit minimization
836:– via YouTube.
602:Digital architecture
525:or a flashing light.
523:electrical telegraph
411:substitution errors,
112:real-valued function
1307:Digital photography
1089:Generic Array Logic
1011:Combinational logic
986:Printed electronics
950:Digital electronics
622:Digital electronics
556:for use with early
171:digital photography
165:numeric form as in
63:information systems
18:Digital information
1391:Digital technology
1255:Asynchronous logic
1031:Integrated circuit
996:Electronic circuit
805:/WorldInfoCapacity
647:Digital Revolution
460:digital television
441:quantization error
415:insertion/deletion
306:character encoding
196:possibly contains
59:information theory
52:
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1312:Digital telephone
1283:Computer hardware
1250:Synchronous logic
861:978-1-84787-497-9
724:978-3-486-81590-0
697:978-0-262-51767-6
642:Digital recording
294:computer keyboard
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16:(Redirected from
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104:real numbers
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55:Digital data
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1006:Memory cell
890:21 February
607:Digital art
577:Barker code
446:granularity
433:Granularity
377:punctuation
345:data in use
325:digital age
221:August 2016
159:electronics
96:analog data
84:binary data
1370:Categories
1355:Runt pulse
1327:television
1021:Logic gate
966:Transistor
958:Components
832:6 November
669:References
518:Morse code
371:(spaces),
270:are used.
248:characters
205:improve it
116:sound wave
100:continuous
1211:Placement
1001:Flip-flop
981:Capacitor
688:MIT Press
512:modulated
387:Language:
311:A custom
280:interrupt
209:verifying
155:computing
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