46 1 Computing and Enabling Technologies APPENDIX .............................................................. A Comparison between Analog and Digital Signaling Speed or frequency on analog service is stated in hertz (Hz). A wavelength that oscil- lates, or swings back and forth between cycles, ten times per second has a speed of 10Hz or cycles per second. A cycle starts at a neutral place in the wavelength, ascends to its highest point, descends to its lowest point, and then goes back to neutral. Lower frequencies are made up of longer wavelengths than higher frequencies. Analog telephone signals are analogous to water flowing through a pipe. Rushing water loses force as it travels through a pipe. The farther it travels in the pipe, the more force it loses, and the weaker it becomes. The advantages of digital signals are that they enable the following: Greater capacity The ability to mix voice, video, photographs, and e-mail on the same transmission enables networks to transmit more data. · Higher speeds It is faster to re-create binary digital ones and zeros than more complex analog wavelengths.