Quantizer

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A mechanism or process that transforms continuous data into a series of discrete steps or values to optimize digital signal processing and storage
2. An instrument or technique used to convert analog signals into distinct levels or packets for improved digital communication and analysis
3. A device or method that changes a continuous range of signal values into a set of separate, distinct levels for processing

Etymology: The word is a simple formation: "quantize" with the agent suffix "-er", so a quantizer is a device that quantizes. The verb "quantize" comes from "quantum," the Latin word for "how much" or "amount," which physics took up for discrete packets of energy. To quantize a signal is to convert a continuous range of values into a finite set of levels, rounding each reading to the nearest allowed step. That is precisely what a signal digitizer does when it turns an analogue waveform, such as sound or voltage, into numbers a computer can store. The idea behind the device is therefore more literal than the name suggests. A quantizer's job is to decide how much detail survives: more levels mean finer resolution and less rounding error, while fewer levels save space but make the output coarser. The same arithmetic underlies digital audio and telecommunications, where the step size is chosen with care.

Synonyms: discretizer, encoder, converter, compressor, mapper