ENOB (effective number of bits)
Beginner
How many bits of real detail a measurement has once noise is counted. It is often fewer than the label says.
Novice
The resolution a converter actually achieves given its noise and distortion. A converter with 10 output bits might deliver only 8 effective bits.
Expert
. In analog MACs it is the right way to compare the whole signal chain, devices included, to a digital datapath of a given width.
Explained in Sparsity, in-memory and analog compute (Architectures).
See also: ADC (analog-to-digital converter).