Comparator
A comparator is an electronic device or circuit that compares two input voltages or currents and produces a digital output signal indicating which is larger. It has two analog input terminals and one binary digital output. The output value of the comparator indicates which of the inputs is greater or lesser. Comparators are often used to check whether an input has reached some predetermined value and have applications in threshold detectors, zero-crossing detectors, and oscillators.
There are two basic types of voltage comparators: inverting and non-inverting. In an inverting comparator, the input signal is applied to the inverting terminal and the reference voltage is at the non-inverting terminal, while in a non-inverting comparator, the input signal is applied to the non-inverting terminal and the reference voltage is at the inverting terminal.
In addition to electronic circuits, the term "comparator" is also used in computer science. In Java, for example, a Comparator is an interface used to impose orderings on objects and can be used to control the order of certain data structures or provide an ordering for collections of objects that dont have a natural ordering.
The term "comparator" can also have other meanings in different contexts, such as being used to describe someone as cunning or sly.
