Transducers convert a variable such as temperature, position, flow, or pressure into what type of signal used by the control system?

• A. Analog
• B. Digital
• C. Pulse-width Modulation
• D. Frequency

Answer: (A)

Transducers take a physical quantity such as temperature, position, flow, or pressure and turn it into an electrical signal that the control system can read. That signal is typically analog—a continuous voltage or current that changes in proportion to the measured value. If a digital value is needed, downstream processing with an analog-to-digital converter converts the analog signal into digital form, but the transducer’s own output is usually analog. Pulse-width modulation is a method used to control power or signal levels, not the direct form of the sensor output, and frequency is a characteristic of a signal rather than the standard sensing signal. So the best answer is analog.