transducer/amplifier

[BobDavis88@AOL.COM]

> For example: do all transducers amplify?
>  
>  Or are all amplifiers transducers?
>  
>  Dan Franklin

No, and no. A TRANSDUCER converts, an AMPLIFIER controls. A  TRANSDUCER does 
not require a power source in addition to the input; in an AMPLIFIER, the 
input energy is used to control a (usually) larger source of additional 
energy.

A TRANSDUCER converts one form of energy to another, such as electrical 
energy into motion, or heat into electrical energy, and so on. A soundboard 
converts the vibratory motion of the strings (input) into compression and 
rarefaction of the air (output). This acts on the eardrum (another 
transducer), which converts sonic energy into electrical stimuli. In a 
soundboard we are concerned with both the nature of the conversion (modes of 
vibration) and efficiency (how much is lost to heat or other 
non-auditorily-useful vibration).

Bob Davis