Compare noise and Electrical distortion. Whether both are same or different? Discuss it.

Note: Do not write definitions otherwise zero marks will be awarded.

Answer

Noise can be described as any unwanted signal in an electronic system. Noise is generated by the random motion of electrons within electrical components, and is statistical in nature. Noise is unrelated in time to the original signal content, while electrical distortion is in some way related in time to the original signal content. Noise is unwanted change independent of the signal often caused by physical processes outside of a device. Whereas distortion is unwanted change directly correlated with the signal usually caused by components inside of the device.

Long runs of electrical conductors, either on printed circuit boards or through cables, act like receiving antennas for electrical noise radiated by motors, switches, and electronic circuits. Such noise becomes progressively worse as the length increases, and may eventually impose an unacceptable error rate on the bus signals. Just a single bit error in transferring an instruction code from memory to a microprocessor chip may cause an invalid instruction to be introduced into the instruction stream, in turn causing the computer to totally cease operation.

Another problem involves the distortion of electrical signals as they pass through metallic conductors. Signals that start at the source as clean, rectangular pulses may be received as rounded pulses with ringing at the rising and falling edges. These effects are properties of transmission through metallic conductors, and become more pronounced as the conductor length increases. To compensate for distortion, signal power must be increased or the transmission rate decreased.

So we can say that both are different but both degrade the signal.