Analog to Digital

Physical Reality

The world around us is . Light exists as a electromagnetic wave. Colors blend smoothly. Brightness varies infinitely. There are no pixels, no numbers, no steps.

A continuous analog photograph
Continuous. Infinite detail.

Even a camera sensor collects at first. Light hits the sensor and creates a smooth electrical signal. That signal is still analog.

So how does a computer turn this smooth, infinite reality into something it can store? That requires two steps.