Synthesis - Definition and Overview

Synthesis (from the Greek words syn = plus and thesis = position) is commonly understood to be an integration of two or more pre-existing elements which results in a new creation. The term is broad in meaning and can apply to physical, ideological, and/or phenomenological entities. In dialectics, synthesis is the final result of attempts to reconcile the inherent contradiction between thesis and antithesis. Along with the similar concept of integration, synthesis is generally considered to be an important element of modern philosophy, particularly in the various emerging ideas often considered to be 'holistic' (as opposed to 'reductionistic').

In chemistry, chemical synthesis is the process of forming a particular molecule from chemical precursors.

In electronic musical instruments, sound synthesis is the method of sound generation a piece of hardware or software may employ, E.g. "My lovely Access Virus B mainly uses subtractive synthesis but it's got a bit of FM synthesis too."

In the world of electronic design automation, synthesis is the process of converting a digital design written in a hardware description language (HDL) into a low-level implementation consisting of primitive logic gates. Most large integrated circuits designed today are written in an HDL and "compiled" using a synthesis product. The first (and still most popular) synthesis tool was written by Synopsys.

See also

• Dialectical monism
• analysis
• Logic synthesis

Example Usage of Synthesis