Problems

Cameron Hulse

1. Define the term “sample” as it applies to digital systems.

Computers measure signals at intervals.

Each measurement taken on that interval is called a “Sample”.
2. Define the term “sampling rate” as it applies to digital systems.

The rate at which the samples above are taken would be called
the “Sampling Rate”.
3. What are the two primary problems that sampling could cause?

If the sampling rate is too slow information can be lost in between samples.
The measurements taken can lose information from rounding as well as
accuracy.
4. Name the three parts of the system used to input an analog signal into a digital

system and describe their purpose.

Sensor - The sensor is what converts the external conditions into a signal
readable by the analog electronic.
Signal Conditioning - Signal conditioning is when the system amplifies the analog
signal from the sensor and cleans it up to be easier to read in the ADC.
Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) - The ADC is used to convert the sensor’s
analog signal into a digital one.

5. Name four benefits of a digital system over an analog system.

Digital systems are unaffected by noise.

Digital systems can operate on the sequence of numbers created by the ADC
and can more accurately process signals unlike analog systems.
Digital systems are not affected by long distance degradation like analog
systems.
The sequence of numbers a digital system uses can also be more finely
compacted than analog systems, this also allows for digital watermarking.
 Problems
Cameron Hulse

6. Name three drawbacks of a digital system over an analog system.

When converting from analog to digital if the samples are taken too slowly
you will miss details.
If the samples don’t take enough values the samples will not be as accurate as
they should be due to poor resolution.
Digital systems need extra hardware to convert from analog.
7. True or False: Since non-periodic pulse trains do not have a predictable format,

there are no defining measurements of the signal.

False

8. If a computer runs at 12.8GHz, what is the period of its clock signal?

Period = 1 / Frequency(Hz)
12.8GHz = 1.28x1010Hz
1 / 1.28x1010 = 7.8125x10-11Seconds
Period = 7.8125x10-11 Seconds
9. If the period of a periodic pulse train is 125 nanoseconds, what is the signal’s

frequency?

Frequency = 1 / Periodic Time (Seconds)

125 Nanoseconds = 0.000000125 Seconds
1/0.000000125 = 8,000,000Hz = 0.08GHz
10. If the periodic pulse train is 50 microseconds, what should the pulse width, tw, be

to achieve a duty cycle of 15%?

tw = ( T ) * DutyCycle / 100
50 Microseconds = 0.00005 Seconds | 15% = 0.15
tw = ( 0.00005 ) * 0.15 / 100
tw = 0.000000075 Seconds or 0.075 Microseconds
11. True or False: A signal’s frequency can be calculated from its duty cycle alone.\

False