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From: djo@ptsfd.UUCP (Dan'l Oakes)
Newsgroups: sci.math,sci.physics,sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Analog/Digital Distinction
Message-ID: <521@ptsfd.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 3-Nov-86 17:08:00 EST
Article-I.D.: ptsfd.521
Posted: Mon Nov  3 17:08:00 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 5-Nov-86 06:29:21 EST
References: <105@mind.UUCP> <6654@think.COM> <22067@rochester.ARPA>
Reply-To: djo@ptsfd.UUCP (Dan'l Oakes)
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Xref: watmath sci.math:119 sci.physics:101 sci.electronics:46

A candidate:

I think an earlier candidate hinted at the right idea and then dropped it.  The
distinction is that a digital signal is discrete -- not so much with respect to
amplitude as with respect to time.  An analog signal doesn't much care when you
look at it; a digital signal has "transition" or "edge" periods which can carry
no information, by definition.

To point out that an analog modem has such periods is irrelevant; the reason it
has transition periods is that it is an analog signal CARRYING A MODULATED DIG-
ITAL SIGNAL on it.  The transition periods are -not- meaningful in terms of the
analog signal but only in terms of the digital signal -- or, to be more precise
but stranger, they are only -meaningless- in terms of the digital signal; their
presence is very significant to the analog signalling device, the modem:  their
presence signals to the distant modem "Yep, I'm still here."

Go ahead.  Tear it up.  I don't care...

Dan'l Danehy-Oakes