Ham Radio General Class Test 2026 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

A shift register is defined as a clocked array of circuits that passes data in steps along the array. This definition captures the fundamental operation of a shift register, which is a digital memory circuit used for storing and manipulating data. In a shift register, data is input into one end and shifted or moved through the array of flip-flops in synchrony with clock pulses, effectively allowing the data to be transferred serially across a parallel data structure. This shifting process can be utilized for various applications, including data storage, conversion from serial to parallel data, and implementing certain types of data processing.

The other options do not accurately describe the function of a shift register. While operational amplifiers are used in signal processing, they do not perform the sequential data shifting that characterizes shift registers. A digital mixer and an analog mixer pertain to audio signal manipulation rather than the specific data handling capabilities of a shift register. This makes the first choice the only correct definition in the context of digital electronics.