What is the difference between analog and digital electronics?

Answer 1

An anlogous signal represents a slowly varying quantity with respect to time . A sinusoidal souce is an example of an anlogue signal. The digital signal is one which has only two stable staes.Either On or OFF. During On full signal and during Off No signal. We can also think of Digital signal as the output of an amplifier with input over driven with an analogue signal. its ouput saturates and gives full DC ouput voltage when it is ON and gives zero ouput for OFF. Uma1976 An analog signal is a variable signal, where as a digital signal is simply on or off.

for example a video game steering wheel.

With analog you can turn slightly anywhere between 0-90 degrees.

With digital you can ONLY turn 90 degree's or 0 degrees'.

This also works with buttons. Analog buttons can calculate how hard they are being pressed. Digital buttons only register if they are on, or off.

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Analog electronics receive, process or output analog signals. Digital electronics receive, process or output digital signals.

An analog signal is infinitely variable (usually between some limits). Its value could be 3, 3.2, 3.25, 3.257, 3.2573, etc. The signal "flows" from one value to another passing through the infinite number of values in between. For example a sine wave.

A digital signal has discreet values. There are usually a finite number of possible values. The signal has steps instead of a smooth flow. For example, it might have a value of 3 or 4, but there is no such thing as a value of 3.5. Using a step analogy, you can stand on the 3rd step of a stair case, or the 4th step, but you can't stand on the 3.5th stair - it just doesn't exist.

Note that either type of signal can be made to approximate the other, usually to any level of accuracy that is necessary.

Also note, because many digital signals are binary (either on or off, 1 or 0), the terms digital and binary are sometimes confused. A digital signal can have more than two states, so not all digital signals are binary. But, all binary signals are digital. That is, binary signals are a subset of digital signals. ANALOG is not ONLY sinusoidal but it can be DC direct current. Consequently a limitless variably information. Is it better then digital NO WAY at very small quantity the noise is ambiguous as signal while digital has only 2 states true or false.

Answer 2

In analog electronics (e.g. Musical Instruments and recordings) the signal is a waveform, which can continuously vary across a number of frequencies. When the signal is transferred to a recording or output device, the range of frequencies is infinite, depending on the limitations of the equipment. Unfortunately, this can include unwanted inputs created by mechanical, electrical, or thermal effects. Recreating or copying analog data can produce additional noise or distortion due to the nature of the mechanical devices. (In analog video and sound, devices include electrical switches and vacuum tubes, and recording media can include vinyl records and magnetic tape.) In digital electronics, a number of separate frequencies are "sampled" for their amplitude (magnitude) at a specific time, and assigned a numerical value in binary form. When the signal is recreated, it contains the same values as were sampled (i.e. the information does not change). As opposed to the continuous flow of an analog signal, the digital signal consists of values recorded at many distinct and different times, then presented in order. To recreate an approximation of the original signal, a large number of frequencies have to be sampled within the original range, then played back simultaneously at the same rate as they were recorded. (Common digital video and sound equipment includes musical synthesizers, iPods, CD players, and computer DVD's.)