Physical Conversion

The first aspect of modeling occurs when the computer hardware itself converts various forms of input as they enter the computer system. Input stimuli originate from the real physical world and have to be converted into binary information, consisting solely of 1s and 0s. The computer engineer must design each input device to produce a pattern of 1s and 0s that correspond to some physical phenomenon, such as the movement of a mouse or the sound arriving at a microphone. The software that uses these inputs must be able to decipher the digital input so that it can incorporate this additional information into its model of the user's activities.

These pages were written by Steven H. VanderLeest and Jeffrey Nyhoff and edited by Nancy Zylstra
©2005 Calvin University (formerly Calvin College), All Rights Reserved

If you encounter technical errors, contact computing@calvin.edu.