digital
1. of, relating to, resembling, or possessing a digit or digits
2. representing data as a series of numerical values
3. Electronics responding to discrete values of input voltage and producing discrete output voltage levels, as in a logic circuit
5. Music one of the keys on the manuals of an organ or on a piano, harpsichord, etc.
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
digital
[′dij·əd·əl] (computer science)
Pertaining to data in the form of digits.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Digital
(company)digital
(data)A description of
data which is stored or transmitted
as a sequence of discrete symbols from a finite set, most
commonly this means
binary data represented using electronic
or electromagnetic signals.
The opposite is
analogue.
This article is provided by FOLDOC - Free Online Dictionary of Computing (foldoc.org)
digital
(1) Data in binary form. See digital format and binary.
(2) Years ago, Digital Equipment Corporation was commonly referred to as simply "Digital." See Digital Equipment.
(3) For centuries, digital meant the use of numbers, the term coming from digit, or finger. Today, digital is synonymous with computer and Internet activities. See virtual.
Digital Also Means Perfect
Digital methods have caused a worldwide revolution in every facet of life. The 0s and 1s of digital data mean more than just on and off. They mean perfect copying. When information, music, voice and video are turned into binary digital form, they can be electronically manipulated, preserved and regenerated perfectly at high speed. The millionth copy of a computer file is identical to the original. While this has driven software and content publishers to distraction protecting their copyrights, it is nevertheless a significant advantage of digital processing.
Every day, petabytes of data are uploaded to and downloaded from the Internet. Although errors do occur in transmission, they are detected and corrective measures are taken automatically by the communications systems. The exceptions are audio and videoconferencing, whereby errors are accepted because retransmitting packets would alter the real-time experience. See petabyte, binary and error checking.Copyright © 1981-2025 by The Computer Language Company Inc. All Rights reserved. THIS DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. All other reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher.