Electronic circuits can broadly be divided into two broad categories:
- Analog – involves quantities with continuous values
- Digital – involves quantities with discrete values
Some advantages of digital over analog are as below:
- Efficient processing and reliable transmission
- Easier storage of data
- Higher accuracy and clarity
- Programmability
- Noise immunity
- Ease of fabrication in integrated circuit form
Today, digital technology is applied in a wide range of applications. The most common digital end products are computers, television, communication systems, consumer electronics, etc.
Sampling and Quantization are the techniques that are used to convert the analog quantity to the digital value.
The world is moving towards digital. But, it is worth remembering that nature is analog, and all real-world signals come in analog form. Therefore, it is equally important to understand both analog and digital electronics.