DATA and SIGNAL

On completion, students will be able to:

Explain what is data Distinguish between data and signal Distinguish between analog and digital signal Explain the difference between time and frequency domain representation Specify the bandwidth of a signal Explain the bit interval and bit rate of a digital signal

Data and Data types

What is data? Data refers to information that conveys some meaning based on some mutually agreed up rules or conventions between a sender and a receiver Data types Data can be of two types; analog and digital. Analog data take on continuous values on some interval. Typical examples of analog data are voice and video. Digital data take on discrete values.

Signal
What is signal? It is electrical, electronic or optical representation of data, which can be sent over a communication medium. Signal types: Analog and Digital Analog signals are continuous-valued; digital signals are discrete-valued

Analog signal
Example of Analog signal. A microphone converts voice data into voice signal, which can be sent over a pair of wire.

Digital signal
Example of Digital signal Digital signal can have only a limited number of defined values, usually two values 0 and 1

Contd..
Analog signals can be classified as simple and composite. Example of simple analog signal is a sine wave. A composite analog signal consists of a combination of multiple simple signals.

periodic signals

A signal is periodic if s (t+T) = s (t) for - < t < , where T is a constant, known as period. A periodic signal is characterized by the following three parameters i.e Amplitude,Frequency,Phase

Contd..
Amplitude: It is the value of the signal at different instants of time. It is measured in volts. Frequency: It is inverse of the time period, i.e. f = 1/T. The unit of frequency is Hertz (Hz) or cycles per second. Phase: It gives a measure of the relative position in time of two signals within a single period. It is represented by in degrees or radian.

Contd..
Examples of sine waves with different amplitude, frequency and phase

Time and Frequency Domain

An electromagnetic signal is commonly a composite signal made up of many frequencies. According to Fourier analysis, any composite signal can be expressed as a combination of simple sine waves with different amplitudes, frequencies and phases

S (t ) A1 sin(2f1 1 ) A2 sin(2f 2 2 )...

 Ex.

S (t ) sin(2f1t ) 1 / 3 sin(2 )3 f1 )t )
This has led to frequency domain representation of signals.

Frequency Spectrum
Frequency spectrum of a signal is the range of frequencies a signal contains. Ex. A square wave

A A S (t ) sin(2ft ) sin(6ft ).... 2

Bandwidth
Range of frequencies over which most of the signal energy of a signal is contained is known as bandwidth or effective bandwidth of the signal. The term most is somewhat arbitrary.

Digital signals
Digital signals Data can be represented by digital signals

Digital signals are aperiodic in nature

Bit Interval and Bit Rate

Bit interval :it is the time required to send a single bit Bit Rate: it is the number of bits intervals per second. Bps=1/T

Analog Versus Digital

A digital signal can be considered as a signal with infinite number of frequencies Digital transmission require low pass channel

Analog transmission require band pass channel

Propagation Time and Wavelength

Propagation time: Time required for a signal to travel from one point of transmission medium to other point. Propagation time:= Distance/ Propagation speed Propagation time: Distance occupied in space in single period. Propagation time: Propagation speed /Frequency

Review Questions
1. Distinguish between Data and signal? 2. What are three parameter that characterize a periodic signal? 3. Distinguish between time domain and frequency domain representation of a signal? 4. What equipments are used to visualize electronic signals in time domain and frequency domain? 5. Distinguish between spectrum and band width of a signal?