Question 1: Explain in your own words how sound waves are converted into digital data for a computer to store and process.

Answer: Sound waves are captured by a microphone, which converts the continuous analog signals into electrical signals. An analog-to-digital converter then samples these signals at regular intervals and records the amplitude as a series of binary numbers, creating a digital representation of the sound.

Question 2: Describe what happens during the sampling process when converting sound into digital data.

Answer: Sampling involves measuring the amplitude of the sound wave at regular time intervals. These measurements are then converted into binary numbers, resulting in a series of samples that approximate the original sound wave.

Question 3: What is meant by 'bit depth' in digital sound? How does it affect sound quality?

Answer: Bit depth refers to the number of bits used to represent each sample. A higher bit depth allows for more precise representation of the sound's amplitude, resulting in better sound quality with less background noise or distortion.

Question 4: Calculate the approximate amount of data (in bytes) needed to store a 10-second stereo sound clip sampled at 44,100 Hz with a bit depth of 16 bits.

Answer: Sample rate: 44,100 samples/sec; 16 bits per sample; stereo (2 channels); duration: 10 seconds. Total bits = 44,100 samples/sec × 16 bits × 2 channels × 10 sec = 14,112,000 bits. Convert bits to bytes: 14,112,000 ÷ 8 = 1,764,000 bytes.

Question 5: Complete the following truth table for a logic gate that outputs true only when both inputs are true.

Answer: Inputs A and B | Output ----------------|-------- false, false | false false, true | false true, false | false true, true | true

Question 6: Draw a logic circuit that represents an AND gate with two inputs and one output.

Answer: A correct sketch should show two input lines entering an AND gate symbol (a D-shaped symbol), with one output line leaving the gate, representing the AND operation.

Question 7: Sketch a diagram showing how a microphone captures sound waves and converts them into an electrical signal. Label the main components involved.

Answer: A sketch should include a microphone with sound waves hitting a diaphragm, converting vibrations into an electrical signal, connected to an analog-to-digital converter. Labels should include 'microphone', 'diaphragm', 'analog-to-digital converter', and 'digital output'.

Question 8: Explain why higher sampling rates and greater bit depth lead to larger digital sound files.

Answer: Higher sampling rates mean more samples are taken per second, increasing data size. Greater bit depth means each sample uses more bits, also increasing data size. Together, they produce larger files because more information is recorded to more accurately represent the sound.

Question 9: Describe one advantage and one disadvantage of using lossy compression for sound files.

Answer: Advantage: Reduced file size, making it easier to store and share. Disadvantage: Loss of some sound quality, which may be noticeable in high-fidelity audio.

Question 10: Identify the main difference between analog and digital sound signals.

Answer: Analog signals are continuous and vary smoothly over time, while digital signals are discrete, represented by binary numbers at specific sampling points.