quantization

quantization

[‚kwän·tə′zā·shən]

(communications)

Division of the range of values of a wave into a finite number of subranges, each of which is represented by an assigned or quantized value within the subrange.

(quantum mechanics)

The restriction of an observable quantity, such as energy or angular momentum, associated with a physical system, such as an atom, molecule, or elementary particle, to a discrete set of values.

The transition from a description of a system of particles or fields in the classical approximation where canonically conjugate variables commute, to a description where these variables are treated as noncommuting operators; quantization (first definition) is a result of this procedure.

(science and technology)

The restriction of a variable to a discrete number of possible values; thus the age of a person is usually quantized as a whole number of years.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

quantization

(1) The division of a range of values into a single number, code or classification. For example, class A is 0 to 999, class B is 1000 to 9999 and class C is 10000 and above.

(2) In analog to digital conversion, the assignment of a number to the amplitude of a wave. The larger the range of numbers, the finer the increments can be measured, and the more the digital sample represents the analog signal. See sampling and quantization error.

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