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A radio station records an interview with a computer scientist using a computer and audio recording software - OCR - GCSE Computer Science - Question 1 - 2019 - Paper 1

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A radio station records an interview with a computer scientist using a computer and audio recording software. (i) Explain how sampling is used to store audio record... show full transcript

Worked Solution & Example Answer:A radio station records an interview with a computer scientist using a computer and audio recording software - OCR - GCSE Computer Science - Question 1 - 2019 - Paper 1

Step 1

Explain how sampling is used to store audio recordings.

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Answer

Sampling is the process of measuring an audio signal at regular intervals to convert it into a digital format. In audio recording, the height or amplitude of the waveform is sampled at specified sample rates, usually expressed in Hertz (Hz). This allows the analog sound waves to be represented as discrete values, enabling digital storage and playback.

The number of samples taken per second directly affects the quality of the audio recording; a higher sample rate results in a more accurate representation of the sound. For instance, a common sample rate for CD audio is 44,100 Hz, meaning that the sound wave is sampled 44,100 times every second.

Additionally, the sampling process must consider the Nyquist theorem, which states that the sample rate should be at least twice the highest frequency of the audio signal to avoid distortion and loss of information.

Step 2

Tick (✓) two boxes to show the effects of increasing the sampling frequency.

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The file size of the digital recording will be larger.

The quality of playback of the digital recording will be better.

Step 3

Disadvantage

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Answer

Increasing the sampling frequency leads to larger file sizes, which can require more storage space and can take longer to transmit over the internet or other networks. This may lead to performance issues, especially in situations where bandwidth is limited.

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