12) electric circuit. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001
...insulation. Operating electric circuits can be used for general problem solving (as in an analog computer)....

13) digital-to-analog conversion. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001
...A modem, or data set, is a device that converts the digital signals produced by computers and terminals into analog signals that telephone circuits are designed to...

14) digital circuit. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001
...the building blocks of the digital computer. Since most of the physical variables encountered in the real world, e.g., position and temperature, exist in analog form,...

15) digital signal. The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. 2002
...1 The communications industry worldwide is in the midst of a switch to digital signals. 2 Sound storage in a compact disk is in digital form. 3 Sound and video can...

16) data communications. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001
...their relatively limited bandwidth makes them relatively slow paths for data. Recent techniques, however, have made it possible to send data over phone lines at rates...

17) electronics industry. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001
...important sectors that have made great advances since the 1970s include laser and optical electronics, digital electronics, and microwave electronics. Advances in...

18) digital versatile disc. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001
...portion, and the DVD is not worn out by the playing process. Because DVD players are backward compatible to existing technologies, they can play CD and CD-ROM discs;...

19) compact disc. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001
...holds far more information than a CD. DVD players are backward compatible to existing technologies, so they can also play a CD (or CD-ROM), but a CD player cannot...