What Is Interpolation?

I found two resources...I did a search at google.com

Interpolated - Software programs can enlarge image resolution beyond the actual resolution by adding extra pixels using complex mathematic calculations.

THe second resource is here:
http://www.directsoftware.biz/Digit ... a_Interpolation_E_Jakob_Jelling.html

How do you figure how many non-interpolated pixels it really has?

Interpolation is basically a way to guesstimate the value of something, based on what is around it. In the case of digital camera images, the camera actually sees and remembers a "holey" image, and then fills in the holes based on the colors around the holes. As a very simple example, say you have a hole, with a white pixel on one side and a red pixel on the other side. The camera's processor would fill in the gap with pink. If one side were blue and the other side green, the hole would be filled in with blue-green.

What you end up with is a 10MP picture, but only a certain number of those pixels are originals that the camera actually saw. The others are the filled-in holes. For the best quality image, the greater the percentage of "original" pixels, the better.

Holly, I looked the word up on http://dictionary.reference.com/ and when I apply it to a commercial, it sounds like a lot of double talk....lol