[sdiy] Is everything digital?

[Scott Gravenhorst]

I partially agree, that is, binary is not the only digital system.  With
respect to discrete states, a digital system, to be useful as such, depends
upon them and reacts distinctly to them.  I don't see any dependance in
analog electronics upon the discrete states that may be present.  I don't
believe that it is correct to call analog "digital" simply because there are
steps.  I agree with Paul S., that this is more properly called "quantized"
and not "digital".  I also see no support for this in the dictionary
definition of "digital".  The definitions I see all depend upon the
recognizable distinct states.

Glen <mclilith at charter.net> wrote:
>At 11:44 AM 5/14/2005 , Scott Gravenhorst wrote:
>
>>The digital world works by reacting to two well defined states 
>>which can be measured with certainty.
>
>Scott, you are confusing digital with binary. It's entirely possible to
>have digital electronics which operate with more than two states. This is
>somewhat equivalent to counting in different number bases. Of course,
>binary is by far the most common form of digital electronics, but I have
>seen trinary circuitry. (No, I'm not referring to the "high impedance"
>state of certain logic chips.) What makes circuitry digital is the presence
>of discrete states (no matter how many states there are). What makes
>circuitry binary is the presence of only 2 discrete states.
>
>
>>So then how can we ever eliminate the electron quanta zipper noise in a
>>sawtooth waveform???
>
>Oh my god, we can't!  <runs out of the house, shrieking in pure terror!>
>
>
>:)
>Glen
>

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