Digital Abbreviations

Meaning of Digital

Digital is that related to the fingers (the extremities of the hands and feet of the human being). The concept, however, is currently closely linked to technology and computing to refer to the representation of information in binary mode (in two states).

Digital systems (such as computers ) use a two-state logic that is represented by two levels of electrical voltage: high (high or H) and low (low or L). As an abstraction, these states are replaced by ones and zeros, facilitating the application of logic and arithmetic.

This binary system made up of ones and zeros allows us to store, process and transmit any type of information. It is possible to speak of combinational digital systems (whose outputs depend on the state of the inputs at a given moment) and sequential digital systems (the outputs are also affected by the previous states).

A digital system represents information in binary form.

Digital signals and circuits

Digital signals, on the other hand, use discrete or discontinuous values, unlike analog signals (which use a continuous series of values ). By operating with limited values, the transmission of information is easier and more reliable.

Among the advantages provided by a digital signal (for television, for example), are the possibility of amplification and reconstruction at the same time, the correction of errors in reception and infinite generation without loss of quality.

In the field of electronics, digital circuits work with information encoded in only two states (ones and zeros, according to the different voltage levels).

Concept in music

When talking about digital music, it is possible to make two very different interpretations: firstly, it can be understood as a synonym for electronic music, since it is produced using instruments that do not rely on the principles of acoustics to emit their sounds, but they generate them digitally; on the other, the concept can refer to digital distribution formats, both those downloaded through virtual stores and those stored on CDs or DVDs.

Digital music does not need physical support for its distribution.

Given the greater convenience that digitally distributed music offers, few people stop to consider the advantages of analog media, such as the vinyl record. In the old days, the sound waves emitted during the recording of an album were shaped by producing physical marks on the surface of the disc, which ensured that each sound left a unique imprint. This is supported by those who claim that digital music does not seem natural, that it does not transmit the warmth of the artists.

In addition, it is known that vinyl records collected the entire sound spectrum emitted in the recording rooms, including those frequencies that are imperceptible to our ears. When a note is emitted naturally, if the instrument is well tuned and achieves an adequate projection, many others sound along with it, which are known as harmonics; this adds to the richness of a performance, and is something that cannot be appreciated on a CD in the same way as on analog media.

Advantages of digital sound

Without a doubt, the sound recorded on a vinyl record is more natural than a recording made entirely with digital equipment, but this does not mean that the latter option does not offer clear advantages. For example, and perhaps the greatest of all, it does not deteriorate with use or with the passage of time; How much opera and music lovers of the first half of the 20th century would give to have clean and stable recordings of their favorite singers.

Another of the strengths of digitally distributed music is that it can be played on countless devices, of various sizes and technologies, and that it does not take up space. Thanks to cloud storage services, moreover, local disk space is no longer a problem, since you can have a potentially unlimited number of songs stored in remote memory.

Digital indicates that the entire course of a process is not shown, but that the results of a short measurement are periodically made visible or audible. That applies to a watch, but it also applies to digital sound (which is in fact a contradiction in terms).

Analog-Digital Converter

An analog-to-digital converter or AD converter converts an analog signal , for example a speech signal, into a digital signal.

A discrete signal is the counterpart of a continuous signal, a signal that can take on all possible values.

A so-called “sample-and-hold circuit” is used for sampling, which takes a sample of the analog signal at set times.

The ladder network is a series connection of a number of equal resistors to which the comparison voltage is applied.

The output of a differential amplifier changes polarity as soon as one of its inputs becomes larger than the other input.

The converter cap is a logic circuit which assigns a binary digit code to each of the fixed levels.

Meaning of Digit

The term digit derives from digĭtus, a Latin word that can be translated as “finger”. In the field of mathematics, the number that is expressed through a single figure is called a digit (the figures are the figures or signs that are used to express a quantity). This means that, in decimal numeration, the digit numbers are ten: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9.

As there are ten digits in this numbering system, we can understand why the etymological root: each digit can correspond to a finger. We have ten fingers on our hands and there are ten digits in decimal numbering.

A digit is a number whose expression is carried out with a single digit.

One digit, one digit

Digit, in this framework, is often used as a synonym for figure (the sign that allows the representation of a digit number). A digit number or a one-digit number, therefore, is expressed with a single digit.

The result of the addition 4 + 3, to cite one case, is a digit number: 7. Instead, the addition 8 + 5 results in a number with two digits or figures ( 13 ). As you can see, 13 is made up of the digit 1 and the digit 3. Since the numbers are infinite, the number of digits is also infinite. There are numbers of one digit, two, eight, forty-five, nine hundred and fifty-two, etc.

The binary system

It is important to note that there are other systems beyond the decimal. A binary number system, for example, appeals to two decimal digits ( 0 and 1 ).

A digit in this system is known as a bit. In the field of computing, in fact, data is stored as bits, using different combinations of 0 and 1.

A three-digit number is made up of three digits.

Learn to read digits

The reading of numbers is taught at a basic level during the years of compulsory education, so that all citizens who have entered school can understand and use numbers in the official system, which is the decimal. Thanks to this, we can read the prices of the products and services we need to live in society, solve simple calculations to organize our money and time, and follow a culinary recipe using the correct amounts of each ingredient.

However, the math does not end there. The reading of the numbers entails a certain difficulty when we enter the set of decimal numbers or in other numbering systems, such as binary or hexadecimal, since in these cases the interpretation of the same number can vary and this can give lead to endless errors and complications.

Differences depending on the system

Let’s look at some examples to understand more clearly what was stated in the previous paragraph. If we are faced with the digit number 1, we can ensure that both in the decimal numbering system and in the binary and in the hexadecimal the reading is the same: “one”.

Now, if we just add a number and convert it to 10, everything changes considerably: while in the decimal system we should read that number as “ten”, in binary it is “two” and in hexadecimal, “sixteen”. If we wanted to express the quantity of ten in these last two systems, we would have to write 1010 and A, respectively, something that people outside the exact sciences do not usually know.

Digit puncture

We can find this term as part of a compound in acupressure, for example, a therapeutic procedure that merges the fundamentals of acupuncture and massage without the need to use external elements, such as needles. Broadly speaking, it consists of pressing certain points on the body to promote its recovery.

According to experts, our body has a network of energy channels that links all internal organs; by touching the external sites corresponding to each one of them it is possible to treat them.

List of Acronyms Related to Digital