digital electronics


digital electronics

(electronics)The implementation of two-valued logic usingelectronic logic gates such as and gates, or gates andflip-flops. In such circuits the logical values true andfalse are represented by two different voltages, e.g. 0V forfalse and +5V for true. Similarly, numbers are normallyrepresented in binary using two different voltages torepresented zero and one.

Digital electronics contrasts with analogue electronicswhich represents continuously varying quantities like soundpressure using continuously varying voltages.

Digital electronics is the foundation of modern computers anddigital communications. Massively complex digital logiccircuits with millions of gates can now be built onto a singleintegrated circuit such as a microprocessor and thesecircuits can perform millions of operations per second.

digital electronics

The field of computers and other computer-controlled devices. Although they may have analog inputs and outputs, almost all electronic devices are controlled by digital circuits. See digital circuit.