Question

Which of the following characteristics is most crucial for the accuracy of an A/D converter?

• A. Conversion speed
• B. Resolution
• C. Power consumption
• D. Size

Hint:

More bits = finer resolution = more accurate digital representation of analog signals!

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

An Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) translates an analog input signal into a digital number. The accuracy of this conversion depends primarily on the resolution of the ADC.
Resolution is the number of discrete values or steps that the ADC can produce over the range of analog input. It is usually expressed in bits. For example:

• An 8-bit ADC provides \( 2^8 = 256 \) levels.
• A 12-bit ADC provides \( 2^{12} = 4096 \) levels.

The higher the resolution:

• The smaller the quantization step size.
• The more precisely the analog signal can be represented.

Why others are incorrect:

• (A) Conversion speed affects how quickly data is sampled, but not its precision.
• (C) Power consumption relates to efficiency, not accuracy.
• (D) Size affects packaging and integration, not the ADC’s performance accuracy.