Chapter -1 DATA REPRESENTATION

Uses of hexadecimal system –

o Error codes- These numbers refer to the memory location of the error and are
usually automatically generated by the computer
o Media Access Control address – MAC address refers to a number which uniquely
identifies a device on a network. It rarely changes so that a particular device can
always be identified no matter where it is.
o IP address – Each device connected to a network is given an address known as the
Internet Protocol address.
o HyperText Mark-up language – used when writing and developing web pages. It isn’t
a programming language but a mark-up language.

UNICODE-
o create a universal standard that covered all the languages and writing systems
o more efficient way
o adopt uniform encoding
Sound
 Sound is analogue, and for it to be converted to digital form, it is sampled

 The sound waves are sampled at regular time intervals where the amplitude is
measured. However, it cannot be measured precisely, so approximate values are
stored

How is Sound Recorded

 The amplitude of the sound wave is first determined at set time intervals

 The value is converted to digital form

 Each sample of the sound wave is then encoded as a series of binary digits

 A series of readings gives an approximate representation of the sound wave

Sampling Resolution:
 The number of bits per sample is known as the sampling resolution (aka bit depth)

 Increasing the sampling resolution increases the accuracy of the sampled sound as
more detail is stored about the amplitude of the sound.

 Increasing the sampling resolution also increases the memory usage of the file as
more bits are being used to store the data.

Sampling Rate
 The sampling rate is the number of sound samples taken per second, which is
measured in Hertz (Hz)

 A higher sampling rate would allow more accurate sound as fewer estimations will be
done between samples.
Images
Bitmap Images
 Bitmap images are made up of pixels

 A bitmap image is stored in a computer as a series of binary numbers

Colour Depth
 The number of bits representing each colour is called the colour depth.

 An 8-bit colour depth means that each pixel can be one of 256 colours (because 2 to
the power of 8 = 256)

 A 1-bit colour depth means each pixel can store one colour (because 2 to the power
of 1 is 2) - ( This is done as the bit can either be 0 or 1, with 0 being white and 1
being black)

 Increasing colour depth increases the size of the file when storing an image.

Image Resolution
 Image resolution refers to the number of pixels that make up an image; for example,
an image could contain 4096 × 3072 pixels.

 Photographs with a lower resolution have less detail than those with a higher
resolution.

 When a bitmap image is ‘ blurry ‘ or ‘ fizzy ’ due to having a low amount of pixels in it
or when zoomed, it is known as being pixelated.

 High-resolution images use high amounts of memory as compared to low-resolution

ones.

Measurement of the Size of Computer Memories

 A binary digit is referred to as a BIT

 8 bits is a byte

 4 bits is a nibble

 Byte is used to measure memory size

Data compression

o To save storage space on devices

o To reduce the time taken to stream a music or video file
o To reduce the time taken to upload, download or transfer a file

Lossy File Compression

 The file compression algorithm eliminates unnecessary data bits like in MP3 and JPEG
formats.

 It is impossible to get the original file back once it is compressed

  Reduces file quality

 In this, the image's resolution and colour depth are reduced.

MP3
 It uses technology known as Audio Compression to convert music and other sounds
into an MP3 file format

 This compression reduces the normal file size by 90%

o Done using file compression algorithms, which use Perceptual Music Shaping

o Removes sounds that the human ear cannot hear properly

o Certain sounds are removed without affecting the quality, too much

 CD files are converted using File Compression Software

 Use lossy format as the original file is lost following the compression algorithm

MP4
 This format allows the storage of multimedia files rather than just sound

 Music, videos, photos and animations can be stored

 Videos could be streamed without losing any real discernible quality

Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG)

 JPEG is a file format used to reduce photographic file sizes

 Reducing picture resolution is changing the number of pixels per centimetre

 When a photographic file undergoes compression, file size is reduced

Lossless File Compression

 All the data bits from the original file are reconstructed again when the file is
uncompressed.

 Important for files where the loss of data would be disastrous (spreadsheet)

 An algorithm is used to compress data

 No data is lost

 Repeated patterns/text are grouped together in indexes

Run-Length Encoding
 It is a form of lossless/ reversible file compression
 It reduces the size of a string of adjacent, identical data
 Only effective way where there is a long run of repeated units/bits.