Question

How is the scientific use of the term digital different from the common use

Answer 1

While “digital” commonly refers to electronics in general, the scientific definition of digital is much different. “Digital” in information science refers to the finite, discontinuous phenomenon (e.g., on or off states in a light bulb) as opposed to infinitely varying, continuous analog phenomenon (e.g., the brightness of daylight). It can also refer to representing data in figures as opposed to data represented in pictorial form.