Digital data offers greater control and precision than analog data.
Digital technology uses digital data -- sets of discrete values, typically the numbers 1 and 0 -- to represent information. This is in contrast to analog technology that uses continuous values to represent data. All modern computer and electronic equipment are digital because they use and manipulate information using the digits 1 and 0. Digital technology has largely replaced slower analog systems due to its numerous security, speed and error control advantages.
Error Control, Detection and Correction
Digital technology provides greater capacity to detect and control errors. Although digital systems provide greater immunity to noise than analog systems, they are still susceptible to a certain degree of noise. Excessive noise can generate incorrect results and errors. Digital systems incorporate control systems that detect and even correct errors, according to Pelin Aksoy and Laura DeNardis in the book "Information Technology in Theory." They do so by reading data before it is transmitted and correcting its structure if it has errors.
Speed and Security
Digital systems are considerably faster than analog systems. Advances in digital technologies, such as improved digital transmission media and miniature transistors, make faster processing possible. Data security is of fundamental importance to most applications, especially those pertaining to sensitive government and business transactions. Sensitive information, such as credit card numbers, account details and personal information must be secured. Digital technology effectively protects data by applying security techniques, such as encryption. It ensures that data, even if it is intercepted over unsecured telephone and Internet networks, cannot be deciphered.
Reliability and Availability
Digital technology systems are reliable and are not susceptible to the same level and frequency of degradation as analog approaches. Most analog technologies degrade under environmental conditions and due to age. Digital technology is less prone to a decline in quality. For instance, music stored on an analog music cassette tends to deteriorate in quality over time and after exposure to excessive dust, moisture and similar factors. Music stored on a flash drive, or another digital format, is less likely to experience deterioration. Similarly, scanned data is likely to last longer than a hardcopy or paper-based format.
Digital technology makes it possible to communicate irrespective of distance. The transmission of digital data is easier since signals are generated with only one of two values, says Aksoy and DeNardis. These values are transmitted via digital communication lines and deciphered at the receiving end to one of two values. Analog signals, on the other hand, are generated with infinite values, the deciphering of which is time consuming, prone to errors and challenging.
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