What type of signal does a DSP primarily deal with?

A Digital Signal Processor (DSP) is primarily designed to manipulate digital signals. Digital signals are representations of data in a form that can be easily processed by electronic devices. They consist of discrete values, typically represented as binary code, allowing for efficient storage, transmission, and processing.

The primary function of a DSP is to perform mathematical operations on these digital representations, enabling a wide range of applications such as audio processing, image processing, and communications. The advantages of working with digital signals include improved noise immunity, greater flexibility, and the ability to easily implement complex algorithms.

In contrast, while analog signals (continuous in nature), optical signals (light-based communications), and radio signals (a subset of electromagnetic radiation) are important in various fields of communication, they are not the main focus of DSP. DSPs convert analog inputs into digital format for processing, but their operation and efficiencies are derived from working with digital signals directly.