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← Sounds | Analogue and digital | Sampled sound → |
For a computer to store sound files we need to get the continuous analogue sound waves into discrete binary values:
Analogue to Digital Converter (ADC) - Converts analogue sound into digital signals that can be stored on a computer
Digital to Analogue Converter (DAC) - Converts digital signals stored on a computer into analogue sound that can be played through devices such as speakers
Exercise: Analogue and digital
What is the difference between analogue and digital data?
Answer:
Analogue data is continuous, allowing for an infinite number of possible values. Digital data is discrete, allowing for a finite set of values
Name the device used by computers to convert sound files into sound coming out of the speaker
Name a peripheral that could be used to feed sound into an ADC
Answer:
A microphone
This is a diagram of a system set up for recording, storing and saving sound. Fill in the numbers from the following options
- ADC
- DAC
- Headphones
- Main Memory
- Microphone
- Secondary Storage
Answer:
- Microphone
- ADC
- DAC
- Main Memory
- Headphones
- Secondary Storage
Why is it difficult to save analogue sound waves in a digital format?
Answer:
Analogue is continuous data, converting continuous data to discrete values may lose some of the accuracy