| In the study of the camera, digital technology | | | | saves time, but also produces no waste in the form |
| influence comes from a variety of different sources | | | | of exposed film and development chemicals. So with |
| to give rise to modern digital photographic capabilities. | | | | this frequently used, specialized camera, digital |
| Some of these technologies are then advanced in | | | | technology creates improvements in a dentist's |
| special niches to create new advances in science. | | | | practice and protects the environment. |
| One of the best examples of this exchange of digital | | | | Another specialized camera that benefits from digital |
| technology is the CCD or Charge-coupled device. This | | | | technology is the telescope. Traditional cameras, |
| is the digital technology breakthrough that made the | | | | mounted to telescopes collect points of light and |
| digital camera possible. | | | | expose the film. This can provide more sensitivity |
| When light strikes the CCD surface, it frees electrons | | | | than the human eye to faint points of light, but |
| to move around and those electrons accumulate in | | | | brighter points of light can also obscure fainter ones |
| capacitors. Those electrons are "counted" at regular | | | | by "washing out" the image. With the application of |
| intervals by a circuit which dumps the electrons from | | | | digital technology the film camera is replaced by a |
| each point on the CCD surface. When all of these | | | | digital camera using a CCD. The CCD can continue to |
| measurements are combined, a picture can be | | | | receive and measure photons indefinitely. This means |
| instantly reproduced as a "virtual mosaic" of the | | | | the process is a continuous measurement in contrast |
| individual point measurements. This is the picture we | | | | to the more simple exposure of a piece of film. |
| see. The more points of measurement found on the | | | | Computers can then electronically filter out brighter |
| CCD, the higher the "resolution" of the resulting | | | | sources of light making possible the detection of |
| picture. | | | | very faint points of light in the sky and even the |
| When building a highly specialized camera, digital | | | | study of celestial objects by the detection of the |
| technology such as this opens new doors which are | | | | shadows they cast instead of the light they give off. |
| not possible with film based technology. | | | | By comparing the light collected over time, digital |
| In dentistry, an X-ray machine can be converted to a | | | | technology also allows this digital camera to detect |
| digital camera with a CCD which is sensitive to the | | | | distant objects by inferring their presence. |
| photons that make up the X-ray spectrum. Instead | | | | These are just two examples of how cameras are |
| of imprinting an image of X-ray on film, developing | | | | influenced by digital technology. New applications and |
| the film and finally reviewing the tiny film image, | | | | even new science can result from such seemingly |
| modern X-ray cameras can instantly display an X-ray | | | | small advances in technologies that don't seem to be |
| image on a computer screen as the CCD processes | | | | related at all. Think on this the next time you |
| the array of photon measurements. This not only | | | | examine your own digital camera. |