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From: plate@dicome.UUCP (Douglas B. Plate)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Analog/Digital
Message-ID: <1111@dicome.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 31-Oct-86 12:04:29 EST
Article-I.D.: dicome.1111
Posted: Fri Oct 31 12:04:29 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 3-Nov-86 20:08:19 EST
Organization: DICOMED Corporation, Minneapolis, Mn.
Lines: 42
Keywords: Pretty Heady Stuff Man

****8") Let's write line eater jokes here.  {:-)**************



The complete workings of the universe are analog in nature,
the growth of a leaf, decay of atomic structures, passing of
electrons between atoms, etc.  Analog is natural reality,
even though facts about it's properties may remain unknown,
the truth of ANALOG exists in an objective form.  
DIGITAL is an invention, like mathematics.  It is a representation,
and I will not make any asumptions about what it would represent
except that whatever it represents, being a part of this Universe,
would have the same properties and nature that all other things
in the Universe share.  The goal of DIGITAL then would be to
represent things 100% accurately.  I will not say that ANALOG is
an infinitely continuous process, because I cannot prove that 
there is not a smallest possible element involved in an ANALOG 
process, however taking observed phenomena into account, I would
risk to say that the smallest element of ANALOG have not been 
measured yet if they do ideed exist.

Digital is finite only in the number of elements it uses to represent
and the practical problem is that "bits" would have to extend
into infinity or to a magnitude equalling the smallest element
of what ANALOG is made of, for digital to reach it's full potential.  
The thing is, Analog has the "natural" advantage.  The universe is
made of it and what is only theory to DIGITAL is reality to
ANALOG.  The intrinsic goal of DIGITAL is to become like
ANALOG.  Why?  Because DIGITAL "represents" and until it
becomes like ANALOG in it's finity/infinity, all of it's
representions can only be approximation.
DIGITAL will forever be striving to attain what ANALOG 
was "born with".  In theory, DIGITAL is just as continuously
inifinite as ANALOG, because an infinite number of bits could
be used to represent an infinite number of things with 100%
accurancy.  In practice, ANALOG already has this "infinity"
factor built into it and DIGITAL, like a dog chasing it's own
tail, will be trying to catch up on into infinity.



		Doug Plate