Topic (14)

Digital Technology
 14.1 Analogue and digital signals

14.1.1 Solve Problems Involving Conversion

Between Binary & Decimal Numbers
decimal Numbers : Counting in Powers of 10
(1, 10, 100, 1000 etc)

Binary Numbers : Counting in Powers of 2

(1, 2, 4, 8, 16)

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 IB Physics (HL) - Topic 14

How Binary Works:

• Instead of a 1’s place, 10’s place, 100’s place, etc.
– which is 100 place, 101 place, 102 place, etc. for base ten
• We have a 1’s place, 2’s place, 4’s place, 8’s place…
– which is 20 place, 21 place, 22 place, 23 place, etc. for base 2
• In decimal, when we get to 9, we’ve run out of digits
– next number is 10
– after 9999 is 10000
• In binary, when we get to 1, we’ve run out of digits
– next number is 10
– after 1111 is 10000

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 IB Physics (HL) - Topic 14

Example: Binary to Decimal

• What does 642 mean?
– 6 (100’s) plus 4 (10’s) plus two (1’s)
– 6102 + 4101 + 2100
• Q) convert 01101011 to decimal number:
– 027 + 126 + 125 + 024 + 123+ 022+ 121 + 120
– 0128 + 164 + 132 + 016 + 18 + 04 + 12 + 11
– 64 + 32 + 8 + 2 + 1
– 107

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 IB Physics (HL) - Topic 14

Example
• Convert the number 363 to binary:
• 1st, find the largest power of 2 that is less than 363,
which in this case
• 28 = 256
• Then construct the following table
• 363 – 256 = 107
Power of 2 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20

256 128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1

remaining 107 107 43 11 11 3 3 1 0

binary 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1
363= 101101011
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Numbers read from left to right.
Digits in Binary numbers are called “BITs”
Left Hand Digit = Largest Power (MSB)
(Most significant bit)
Right Hand Digit = Smallest Power (LSB)
(Least significant bit)
EACH BIT REPRESENTS 1, 2, 4, 8, 16
 IB Physics (HL) - Topic 14

Digital versus Analogue

• Analogue signals are continuous signals varying
between two extreme values.

• Digital signal is a coded form of signals that takes

only two values (0 or 1)

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 14.1.2

Describe Different Means of Storage

of Information In Both Analogue &
Digital Forms
 IB Physics (HL) - Topic 14
Information storage
(digital and analogue)
• Information can be stored as digital or analogue forms.
• LP (Long playing record): stores sound in analogue form
(as scratched pattern on the cylinder surface)
• Cassete tape: stores sound in analogue form (magnetic
field orientation)
• Floppy disk and hard disks : Stores data in digital form.
(magnetic field variation in the disk, only two variations are
utilized)
• CD: stores data in digital form. (will be explained later)
• DVD: Digital form. (stores variation of light and sound
similar to CD)
• (Please read details from your book)

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 IB Physics (HL) - Topic 14

Digital Representation of Analog Quantities

• Analogue signals (like sound waveform can be digitized
• At uniform time intervals, amplitude of waveform is
characterized by an integer number, this is called sampling
– Convert each sampled signal into one value is called “quantization”
(or quantum level)
sound amplitude

sound waveform

time

digitized sample points, uniform in time

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 IB Physics (HL) - Topic 14
14.1.3
CD
• CD is a disk of diameter 12 cm.
• Analogue signal (like music) is first converted into a digital
signal (0’s and 1’s)
• This sequence is imprinted on the CD by making marks
called “pits” on the CD .
• The parts of the paths on the CD without pits are called
“Lands”.
• A series of pits is made along a path that spirals from the
center of the disk outwards
• The pits appear as bumps to the laser beam
– The laser beam shines on the metallic layer through a clear plastic
coating

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 IB Physics (HL) - Topic 14
• Sound sampled at 44,100
Hz and then coded as
binary numbers in pits
pressed on disc
• Laser beam is used to
read data which is then
used to drive audio
amplifier
• The spiral track is
separated by 1.6 micro
meter and makes a
reasonable reflection
diffraction grating
• The pit depth on a CD
equals one fourth of the
laser wavelength

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 IB Physics (HL) - Topic 14

Arrangement on the CD
• Pits are arranged in long spiral, starting at center and
spiraling outward toward edge

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 IB Physics (HL) - Topic 14

CD’s and DVD’s

• A series of ones and zeros read by laser light
reflected from the disk
• Strong reflections correspond to constructive
interference
– These reflections are chosen to represent zeros
• Weak reflections correspond to destructive
interference
– These reflections are chosen to represent ones

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 IB Physics (HL) - Topic 14

Reading a CD

• As the disk rotates,

the laser reflects off
the sequence of
bumps and lower
areas into a
photodector
– The photodector
converts the fluctuating
reflected light intensity
into an electrical string
of zeros and ones
• The pit depth is made
equal to one-quarter
of the wavelength of
the light

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 IB Physics (HL) - Topic 14

Reading a CD, cont

• When the laser beam hits a rising or
falling bump edge, part of the beam
reflects from the top of the bump and
part from the lower adjacent area
– This ensures destructive interference and
very low intensity when the reflected
beams combine at the detector
• When light is reflected from the edge of
a pit, destructive interference occurs.
The reading is recorded as 1
• The flat bump tops and flat plains are
read as zeros
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 Summary of reading data from a CD
Laser light is focused on CD

When beam reflects from a “land” or “pit”

of a CD, constructive interference occurs, strong signal
is received

When beam reflects from the “edge” between

the land and pit, destructive interference
takes place, weak signal received

Strong Signal (constructive) Represents 0

Weak Signal (destructive) Represents 1
 IB Physics (HL) - Topic 14

14.1.4 calculate an appropriate depth for

a pit from the wavelength of the laser light
• Example:
• Calculate the pit depth for CD’s that are to be
played on a CD player operating with a laser
of wavelength 600 nm
• Answer
• d = 600 / 4 = 150 nm

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 IB Physics (HL) - Topic 14

Storage capacity of a CD
• The storage capacity of a CD is measured in
Bytes, where 1 Byte = 8 bit.
• Example:
• Information is imprinted on a CD at a rate of
44100 words per second (Hz). The information
consist of 32-bit words. A CD last for 74
minutes. Calculate the storage capacity of a CD.
• Answer: no. of bits per second = 44100 x 32 =
1411200 bits.
• No. of bits per 74 min. =
1411200x74x60=6.27x109 bits.
• Capacity = 6.27x109 /8 = 7.8x108 = 780 Mbytes
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 IB Physics (HL) - Topic 14
14.1.7

• Discuss the implications for society of ever-increasing

capability of data storage.
• Moral, ethical, social, economic and environmental
implications should be considered.
• Read from book

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 IB Physics (HL) - Topic 14

Advantages of digital storage

• Very high quality (if high frequency and no. of
quantum levels are high)
• Reproducibility
• Capacity is huge
• Access to particular stored data is fast
• Retrieval speed is high
• Portability of stored data: small devices can store
large data.
• Manipulation of data: can be easily achieved (by a
computer for example)
• Find more ….. !

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14.1.6 Advantages of digital storage
Mr. Q
 IB Physics (HL) - Topic 14

Mr. Q

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Answer (mark scheme)
 IB Physics (HL) - Topic 14
[Q] A CD track is moved from a radius of 25mm to 58 mm .
The distance between the spirals on the track is 1.6 𝜇𝑚
(a) Estimate the length of the track
(b) The scanning velocity is 1.2ms-1, estimate how long the
CD will last.
(c) It can strore700 Mbytes of information. What is th average
length of track per bit f information.
Answer:
58−25 𝑥10−3
(a) Number f turns = = 20625 𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑠
1.6𝑥10−6
track length = 20625𝑥2𝜋𝑟 (r = average radius)  5184m
5184
(b) Time = = 4320 𝑠 = 72 𝑚𝑖𝑛.
1.2
5184
(c ) average length per bit = = 9𝑥10−9 𝑚
7𝑥108 𝑥8

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 IB Physics (HL) - Topic 14
[Q] Estimate the playing time of a 700 Mbytes CD storing
stereo music using a 16 bit sampling.
Max audio frequency = 20 kHz so sampling frequency=40kHz

No. of bits every second for each channel = 40000x16 =

6.4x105 bits
Total no. of bits per second for a stereo 2x 6.4x105 = 1.28x106
bits.
Total storage capacity of CD is 7x108 bytes = 56x108 bits
56𝑥108
Maximum time for a CD is = 4375 𝑠 ≅ 73 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑠
1.28𝑥106

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