Final answer:
A scanner actually converts analog information into a digital format, not the other way around. Charge-coupled devices (CCDs) digitize light signals which can then be processed and stored electronically, leading to the creation of digital images.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student asked whether a scanner converts a digital image into an analog format. The correct answer to this is No. A scanner is actually a device that converts analog information (such as text and images present on a paper) into a digital format. For example, when photographic images were created using silver-based compounds, they were entirely analog. The advent of digital photography in the 1980s led to the use of charge-coupled devices (CCDs), which are semiconductor chips that convert light signals into electronic signals, thereby digitizing the image. Similarly, CDs use a laser to read digital information that's coded in the form of bumps and pits, with light reflecting differently from each, which is further processed into an analog signal to be heard as audio.
These technologies emphasize the transition from analog to digital rather than the reverse. The statement that a scanner does the opposite is incorrect because scanners and CCDs are designed to digitize images and documents, creating a file that can be stored and processed electronically. Moreover, when discussing the use of CCDs in both commonplace devices such as digital cameras and specialized equipment like astronomical detectors, it is clear that digital imaging involves the conversion from an analog light input (photons) to a digital signal (pixels), which can be counted in the millions of pixels (megapixels).