Monday, November 5, 2001		Bits & Bytes

Transducer: A device that is actuated by energy from one system and supplies energy usually in another form to a second system. For example, a microphone is a transducer that transforms sound energy into electrical signals.

Nyquist's Law: Also called Nyquist's Theorem. Before sound as acoustic energy can be manipulated on a computer, it must first be converted to electrical energy (using a transducer such as a microphone) and then transformed through an analog-to-digital converter into a digital representation. This is all accomplished by sampling the continuous input waveform a certain number of times per second. The more often a wave is sampled the more accurate the digital representation.

Virtual ISP: An ISP that piggybacks its services off of a third-party provider in order to offer ISP services without the expenses and duties required in providing those services. The virtual ISP does not invest in any network, equipment or backroom, technical support needed to offer ISP services. The third-party provider handles all the needs of the end user but is invisible to the end user who only sees the virtual ISP.