Quantiseerimine

Quantiseerimine is a term that can refer to several distinct concepts, primarily in physics and signal processing. In physics, it describes the process of dividing a continuous range of values into a finite number of discrete levels. This is a fundamental principle of quantum mechanics, where certain physical properties like energy, momentum, and angular momentum are not continuous but exist only in specific, quantized amounts. For example, electrons in an atom can only occupy discrete energy levels, and transitions between these levels involve the absorption or emission of photons with specific energies.

In digital signal processing, quantisation is a lossy compression technique that involves approximating a continuous range of input values (or a large set of discrete values) by a smaller set of discrete output values. This is a crucial step in converting analog signals, such as sound or images, into a digital format. The input signal is divided into intervals, and all values within an interval are mapped to a single representative value for that interval. The number of discrete levels used determines the precision of the digital representation. More levels lead to a more accurate representation but require more data storage and processing power. Conversely, fewer levels result in a more compressed signal but can introduce noticeable distortion or loss of detail, often referred to as quantisation error. The choice of quantisation levels and their distribution is critical for achieving a good balance between fidelity and compression.