Analog Vs. Digital Signals

Analog encoding sends or stores information using quantities that

• can vary continuously.

• can only have specific values.

• are separated by consistent numbers.

• store waves’ crest and trough sizes in small steps.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-3

Digital encoding sends or stores information using quantities that

• can vary continuously.

• can only have specific values.

• have no numeric gaps between one another.

• create smooth curves inside a sound wave.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-3

Which of the following is NOT an analog device?

• a light knob that can adjust brightness between fully on and off

• a mouse connected to your computer controlling your cursor

• an FM radio tower broadcasting music

• a runner’s watch that can time to thousandth-second intervals

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-3

Which of the following is an advantage of digital over analog?

• Digital controls allow you more control over exact movement and direction.

• Digital calculations give you more accurate measurements.

• Digital controls move objects in predictable, exact increments.

• Digital devices generate stronger, more precise signals and waves.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-3

A signal is

• a radio wave with an unchanging amplitude and frequency.

• a radio wave with an unlimited range.

• a wave that can only be generated in analog.

• anything that carries information and can be detected.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-3

AM and FM radio stations

• switch between analog and digital signals to broadcast sound waves.

• transmit sound using multiple frequency ranges, including radio waves, visible light, and ultraviolet light.

• change the amplitude or frequency of waves to encode sounds.

• convert broadcasts into binary code.

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS4-5

Why is the weak analog signal harder to hear?

• The weak signal’s sound and clarity decrease corresponding to its amplitude.

• Radios have trouble distinguishing between weak signals and random noise.

• Increased distance causes wavelengths and frequencies to change.

• Radios have trouble connecting with lower-energy waves.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-1

Radio noise is

• unwanted, random signals interfering with the intended signal.

• a natural result of waves decreasing in energy and amplitude over long distances.

• caused by radio receivers being unable to interpret waves with low amplitudes.

• intentionally added to radio waves.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-1

If your analog radio is NOT producing static,

• your radio receiver has successfully filtered out other signals at other amplitudes.

• you are in an area where radio noise is not present.

• the radio noise has a different frequency, so you can only hear it on other radio stations.

• interfering radio noise is still present, but drowned out by a strong radio signal.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-1

Binary digital signals differ from analog signals because

• their amplitude values stay the same no matter the distance.

• digital encoding smooths out radio waves from their original sound, improving sound quality.

• their radio waves can only have two amplitude values—large and small.

• All of the above

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-3