(n.) An analog-to-digital converter, or ADC as it is more commonly called, is a
device that converts
analog
signals into
digital signals. Analog information is
transmitted by modulating a continuous transmission signal by amplifying a
signal's strength or varying its frequency to add or take away data. Digital
information describes any system based on discontinuous data or events.
Computers, which handle data in digital form,
require analog-to-digital converters to turn signals from analog to digital
before it can be read. One example is a
modem which
turns signals from digital to analog before transmitting those signals over
communication lines such as telephone lines that carry only analog signals. The
signals are turned back into digital form (
demodulated)
at the receiving end so that the computer can process the
data in its digital format.
