Page 31 - Engineering Digital Design

CHAPTER 1 / INTRODUCTORY REMARKS AND GLOSSARY

physical science, biology, and medicine, to name a few. But information retrieval is not
limited to these functions. Network communication between computers and our ability to
tap into huge university libraries are other important sources of information. Think of where
businesses would be without access to data-base information that is critical to day-to-day
operation. Local and national security operations depend heavily on data-base information
stored on computers that are most likely part of a network. Yes, and then there is education.
What an invaluable source of information the computer has become both in the classroom
and in the home.
Communications: It would be hard to imagine what our world would be like without the
ability to send facsimile (fax) communications or e-mail. These are digital transmission
methods that were developed to a high degree of sophistication over a period of about
10 years. Of course, the modem, another digital device, has made this possible. Digital
communication is hardly limited to fax and e-mail. One's home phone or cellular phone
is likely to be digital, permitting a variety of features that were difficult if not impossible
to provide by means of an analog transmission device. Scientific data, national security
information, and international communications, all of which are collected and transmitted
back to earth by satellite, are accomplished by digital transmission methods with accuracy
not possible otherwise.
Automatic Control Systems: Digital automatic control systems have replaced the old ana-
log methods in almost all areas of industry, the home, and transportation. Typical examples
include rapid transit systems, integrated circuit fabrication systems, robot systems of all
types in assembly-line production, space vehicle operations, a variety of automobile asso-
ciated operations, guidance systems, home security systems, heating and air-conditioning
systems, many home appliances, and a host of medical systems.

Entertainment: Who cannot help but be awed by the impressive computer generated
graphics that have become commonplace in movies and in games produced on CDs. Movies
such as Jurassic Park and the new Star Wars series will perhaps be remembered as having
established a new era in the art of make-believe. The games that are available on the
home computer include everything from chess and casino-type games to complex and
challenging animated aircraft operations and adventure/fantasy games. Then add to these
the high-quality sound that CDs and the Internet produce, and one has a full entertainment
center as part of the personal computer. Of course, the incursion of digital systems into
the world of entertainment extends well beyond movies and games. For example, one has
only to listen to digitally recorded or remastered CDs (from the original analog recordings)
to enjoy their clear, noise-free character. Also, don't forget the presence of electronic
keyboard instruments ranging from synthesizers to Clavinovas and the like. Then for those
who consider photography as entertainment, digital cameras and camcorders fall into this
category. And the list goes on and on.
Instrumentation: A listing of the many ways in which digital system technology has af-
fected our lives would not be complete without mentioning the myriad of measurement and
sensing instruments that have become digitized. Well known examples of electronic labora-
tory testing equipment include digital voltmeters, ammeters, oscilloscopes, and waveform
generators and analyzers. Then there are the sophisticated medical instruments that include
MRI and CAT scan devices. Vital signs monitoring equipment, oximeters, IV pumps, pa-
tient controlled analgesia (PCA) pumps, digital ear thermometers, and telemetry equipment