Digital circuit- a group of electronic components that uses binary signals to perform some task. Integrated circuit (IC)- a chip that contains many components in microscopic circuits, usually etched into semiconductor material. Analog signal- one whose output varies continuously in step with the input. Digital signal- one whose output varies at discrete voltage levels commonly called !" or #$% (& or'). Why digital? (ata can be stored(memory characteristics of digital) (ata can be used in calculations )rogrammability and storage Why Analog? *ost real+world events are analog in nature ,nalog processing is usually faster and easier Traditional electronic systems were mostly analog in nature -inary numbers , binary number systems are unlike the decimals or he.adecimals number systems, as it only consists of the characters & and '. ,n e.ample of a binary number could include &&&' '&&'. This system of numbers is very easy to use, and the numbers /,0,1,2,3 etc. can all be e.pressed through these two numbers. ere is the process of finding out what a binary numbers means in decimal form. 4irst set up a scale of place values from right to left, the number on the first place value is &, the ne.t place value is &5s double 6 /, the ne.t place value is /5s double 6 1. The ne.t is 7, and you get the idea. 8ow put the put the binary numbers in their rightful place value. The e.ample we will be using is &&&' '&&'. !t would look something like this9 &/7 31 0/ &3 7 1 / & & & & ' ' & & ' 8ow that the place values are set up, whichever place values have a binary number & under it, are the ones which are going to be added to get the final decimal number. !n this e.ample the place values which have the binary number & under them are /, 1, 0/, 31, and &/7, meaning that these numbers will have to be added up to get the decimal number of the binary number given above. :o /;1;0/;31;&/76 /0'. Therefore the converted decimal form of the binary number &&&' '&&' is /0'. !n order to differentiate between number systems there is a subscript that is added to the end of the numbers or set of characters. The subscript for binary number systems is /, since the system is made up of only / numbers, & and '. The subscript for decimal numbers is &', since there are &' characters. '+<. #ogic "ates #ogic gates are the building blocks of digital circuits. *any logic gates consist of / inputs and & output. ,ll the pins on a logic gate are either low or high, or ' or & in binary numbers. %hen the pin is low it is '=, whereas when it5s high it is usually 2=. The basic logic gates include >9 ,8(, $?, @$?, 8,8(, 8$?, @8$?, and 8$T.