Decimating physics data

1. What is data decimation?
2. What is an example of decimation?
3. How do you calculate decimation factor?
4. What is the purpose of decimation?

What is data decimation?

Decimation is the process of reducing the sampling frequency of a signal to a lower sampling frequency that differs from the original frequency by an integer value. Decimation also is known as down-sampling.

What is an example of decimation?

The decimation factor is usually an integer or a rational fraction greater than one. This factor multiplies the sampling interval or, equivalently, divides the sampling rate. For example, if compact disc audio at 44,100 samples/second is decimated by a factor of 5/4, the resulting sample rate is 35,280.

How do you calculate decimation factor?

The decimation factor is simply the ratio of the input rate to the output rate. It is usually symbolized by “M”, so input rate / output rate=M.

What is the purpose of decimation?

Decimation reduces the original sample rate of a sequence to a lower rate. It is the opposite of interpolation. decimate lowpass filters the input to guard against aliasing and downsamples the result.