Pixel
In digital imaging, a pixel, pel, or picture element is a physical point in a raster image.
(TO DO: expand, organize, cross-reference, illustrate.)
Description
The pixel is the smallest addressable element in an all points addressable display device, such as a computer monitor.
The address of a pixel corresponds to its physical coordinates.
LCD pixels are manufactured in a two-dimensional grid, and are often represented using dots or squares, but CRT pixels correspond to their timing mechanisms and sweep rates.
Each pixel is a sample of an original image; more samples typically provide more accurate representations of the original.
The intensity of each pixel is variable.
Color image systems
In color image systems, a color is typically represented by three or four component intensities such as:
- Red, green, and blue
- Cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.
Etymology
The word pixel is based on a contraction of pix ("pictures") and el (for "element"); similar formations with el for "element" include the words voxel and texel.
See Also
External Links
- Pixel @ Wikipedia
