Data Representation Flashcards

An analog signal differs from a digital signal in that an analog signal:

Answer: varies continuously over a range of values

Analog signals vary continuously and can take on any value within a range, whereas digital signals represent data as discrete values.

When converting an analog audio recording to digital, increasing the sampling rate primarily improves:

Answer: the accuracy of representing high-frequency sounds

A higher sampling rate captures more detail per second, allowing higher-frequency audio components to be accurately represented.

Which of the following is an example of metadata?

Answer: The date, location, and camera settings stored alongside a JPEG image

Metadata is data about data; EXIF information like date taken and GPS coordinates describes the image without being part of the visual content itself.

What does the term 'bit depth' refer to in the context of digital audio?

Answer: The number of bits used to represent each audio sample, affecting dynamic range

Bit depth determines how many distinct amplitude levels each sample can have; more bits means greater dynamic range and finer volume gradations.

The binary number 11111111 equals which decimal value?

Answer: 255

All 8 bits set to 1: 128+64+32+16+8+4+2+1 = 255, which equals 2^8 − 1.

In a spreadsheet, a cell stores the number 3.14159 and another cell stores the text '3.14159'. Which statement is true?

Answer: The numeric cell can be used in calculations; the text cell cannot without conversion

Computers use different internal representations for numbers and text, so a text string that looks like a number cannot be used directly in arithmetic operations.

Which statement about overflow errors in integer representation is correct?

Answer: Overflow occurs when a calculated value exceeds the maximum value the bit-width can store

Integer overflow occurs when arithmetic produces a result outside the range representable by the fixed number of bits, often wrapping around to an incorrect value.