Terminology — The overall procedure of converting analog data to digital form and moving it into a computer’s memory is called what?

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: data acquisition

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
Many systems must sense real-world analog variables (temperature, sound, vibration), convert them to digital samples, and store or process them in a computer. The umbrella term for this end-to-end process is important vocabulary in embedded and test instrumentation domains.

Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Analog signals are captured via sensors and conditioning circuits.
  • Conversion to digital occurs via ADCs.
  • Data is then transferred to memory for processing or logging.


Concept / Approach:
“Data acquisition” denotes the entire workflow: sensing, conditioning, sampling, quantization, and transfer to storage or CPU. Individual actions like “sampling” or “multiplexing” are sub-steps and do not by themselves describe the complete process.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Select sensor(s) and condition the signal (gain, level shift, filter).Digitize with an ADC at appropriate sample rate and resolution.Move digitized data into memory via DMA or CPU for analysis.


Verification / Alternative check:

Textbooks and DAQ hardware manuals define “data acquisition” as the integrated process from sensor to digital memory.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:

sampling: A step within data acquisition, not the whole workflow.multiplexing: Channel selection technique; not the complete process.prescaling: Frequency/level division step; again, only a subcomponent.


Common Pitfalls:

Using “sampling” as a synonym for the entire DAQ chain.Ignoring conditioning and transfer logistics when planning DAQ.


Final Answer:

data acquisition

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