Digital system and analog system: differences, advantages and disadvantages

Digital system and analog system refer to the two categories in which electronic circuits are classified.

Digital system is any system that can generate, process, transmit or store signals using digits and that only supports discrete values, that is, that only supports a limited set of numbers or values.

Analog system It is any system whose signals are represented with continuous values, that is, that admits infinite numbers or values.

The main difference between digital system and analog system is that the former is much more accurate and information can be stored more efficiently and in greater quantity than in a system analogical.

Digital system	Analog system
Definition	Data manipulation system using digits (numbers).	Physical data manipulation system represented in continuous values.
Signal values	Discrete (finite) values.	Continuous (infinite) values.
Advantage	Smaller size. Efficiency. Precision. Design. Stability	Instantaneity. Economy. Fidelity.
Disadvantages	Conversion. Bandwidth. Disturbance.	Lower tolerance to noise. Signal degradation. Technical difficulties.
Examples	Computers. Mobile phones. Audio and video recording systems. Digital precision instruments.	Old audio and video systems. Analogic photograph. Traditional precision instruments.

Digital system

A digital system is any system that allows creating, decoding, transmitting or saving information that is is represented in such restricted quantities that its input and output signals only admit values discreet.

Discrete values ​​are variables that do not accept any value, but only those that belong to their set, therefore, they are finite.

In this sense, a digital system is any device that manipulates data through digits that are almost always represented by the binary code. The binary system only supports zeros (0) and ones (1) as values, therefore these are discrete values.

Currently, digital systems are embedded in magnetic, electronic and mechanical devices.

Types of digital systems

Combinational digital systems

In this case, the transmission of the signal depends on the values ​​that the inputs admit.

For example, you cannot enter non-binary code in a binary system.

Sequential digital systems

The output of the signal depends on both the values ​​of the inputs and the overall state of the system (input, output, memory).

Examples of digital systems

• Audio and video recordings, the information of which is saved in millions of bits that can then be stored on different types of devices.
• Computers.
• Mobile phones.
• Calculators, electronic scales, and other precision digital instruments.

Advantages of digital systems

Digital systems have the following advantages:

• Smaller size: devices based on digital systems tend to get smaller and smaller.
• Efficiency- Digital information is stored rapidly and in ever-increasing quantities.
• Precision- Since digital systems only support discrete values, they are much more accurate.
• Design: devices based on digital systems tend to become easier to design
• Stability: digital systems are less susceptible to noise, that is, to all possible signal disturbances.

Disadvantages of digital systems

Although digital systems have contributed greatly to technological development, they also have their drawbacks:

• Conversion: the nature of the physical variables is analog (sound, temperature, distance, weight) therefore, it is necessary to use a converter to transform them into digital data.
• Bandwidth: signal transmission in a digital system requires a much higher bandwidth than an analog system.
• Disturbance- Digital systems can be altered or manipulated relatively easily compared to analog.

See also Computer types

Analog system

An analog system is one whose signals can admit infinite values ​​that can vary continuously.

The data that are part of nature are of analog origin: temperature, distance, sound, voltage, images, etc. While all of these variables can be converted to digital data, they are originally analog.

Examples of analog systems

The ambient temperature is an example of an analog system, as it does not have exact values ​​but can fluctuate continuously. That is, when it is cold it is because the temperature dropped slowly and continuously, since we did not pass directly from 30 degrees to 10 degrees, for example, but a series of values ​​ranging from 30 degrees degrees at 10.

Another example of an analog system is digital music that is converted to analog by a process called conversion, in which devices are used that convert binary data from digital information into signals analogous.

Advantages of analog systems

While there is growing interest in digital transformation because it is technically superior to analog technology, it also has its advantages:

• Instantaneity: in analog systems the signal is processed in real time, for example when we use a speaker or a microphone.
• Economy: devices based on analog systems are cheaper than digital ones.
• Fidelity: the quality of the signal is more faithful to reality and it is not as easy to manipulate. Audio recordings on old analog systems are an example of this.

Disadvantages of analog systems

The disadvantages of using devices based on analog systems are:

• Noise: Analog systems are more susceptible to signal disturbances, and this can interfere with the quality of the data they transmit.
• Degradation: as data transmission is repeated, it loses quality.
• Technical difficulties: if there is a fault in an analog device it is much more difficult to repair. Also, analog systems cannot be repaired remotely.

See also:

• Difference between insulating conductors and semiconductors.
• Difference between alternating current and direct current.
• Difference between battery and battery.