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Revision as of 18:55, 16 January 2004 by Maximus Rex (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Multiplex is either a word derived from multi- + plex (fold) or a synthetic portmanteau combining the words multiple and complex.
It has several meanings.
- another word for many or (literally) manifold
- A kind of wood substitute made from wood splinters glued into boards, also see Triplex
- In electronics a device that takes multiple inputs and combines them using time division is called a multiplexer. One concrete example of a multiplexer is the 74ALS157 'Quad 2- to 1-line data selector/multiplexer'. The verb for what this device does is 'to multiplex'. A device that does the reverse function of a multiplexer is called a demultiplexer.
- A number of digital television channels multiplexed onto a single broadcast channel is known as a "multiplex".
- In highway terminology, it indicates that a single physical road is designated by two or more different highway numbers. If two highways are signed in opposite directions (e.g. Route 128 South and Interstate 93 North near Boston, Massachusetts formerly ran concurrently), that is a "wrong-way multiplex". If one of the highways could have ended at the other, that is a "stupid multiplex".
- It is also derived from multiple cineplex; in this sense, it is a movie theater with more than one screen.