Difference between digital and discrete signal

In summary: Shannon is the father of information theory.In summary, a digital signal can have discrete or continuous values, with binary digital signals having only 0 and 1 values. A discrete signal is defined only at specific time intervals, while a continuous signal can have any value. Analog signals can be converted to digital signals through sampling. Claude Shannon is known as the father of information theory.
  • #1
pvvijaykumar
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what is difference discrete and digital signal
 
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  • #2
Welcome to PF;
That is a reasonable question - what have you done to discover the answer?
Have you, for instance, looked up the definitions of the two terms online?

A digital signal is a special case of a discrete signal.
 
  • #3
A digital signal can be discrete or continuous. A digital signal can only have a set of finite values. If the digital signal is *binary*, it can only have 2 values, 0 or 1. A PWM signal is an example of a continuous signal (NOT discrete), and binary digital having just 2 values. A discrete signal is one that is defined only at specific time intervals. If an continuous analog or digital signal is sampled at some rate, the sample set is a discrete signal. If the sample rate is 1.0 kHz, then there is a sample value every 1.0 milliseconds. This can be digital or analog. If the signal is analog (continuous), it can have any value, i.e. the vertical axis value is not restricted. But the horizontal time axis has values defined only at the 1.0 msec sample points.

Summary: a digital signal can only have discrete values, for binary digital those values are 0 and 1. A digital signal can be continuous in time, such as a PWM signal. Or it can be discrete, where the data exists at specific values of time. An analog signal sampled by an A/D sample and hold is converted to a discrete analog signal. Then the A/D converts it to binary digital, i.e. 0 and 1 values only.

I hope I helped. A great text is the signals and systems book by B.P. Lathi.

Claude
 

What is a digital signal?

A digital signal is a type of signal that represents data with discrete values, typically in the form of binary digits (0's and 1's). It is a representation of an analog signal that has been converted into a digital form.

What is a discrete signal?

A discrete signal is a type of signal that is represented by a sequence of distinct, separate values. It can take on a finite number of values and is not continuous like an analog signal. Examples of discrete signals include digital audio, images, and text.

What is the main difference between digital and discrete signals?

The main difference between digital and discrete signals is that digital signals are a type of discrete signal that can only take on two distinct values (0's and 1's), while other types of discrete signals can take on multiple discrete values.

What are some applications of digital signals?

Digital signals have a wide range of applications, including telecommunications, computer systems, audio and video recording, and signal processing. They are also used in various electronic devices such as smartphones, computers, and TVs.

How are digital and discrete signals related?

Digital signals are a type of discrete signal. This means that all digital signals are discrete signals, but not all discrete signals are digital signals. Other types of discrete signals include analog-to-digital converted signals and quantized signals.

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