Ch2: Data

Representation
 ?What is data
Data is information that has been translated
into a form that is more convenient to process

As information take different forms, the most

efficient way is to represent all forms of
information using a universal format.
 Data Types

Multimedia

Word Engineering Image Audio play Video

processing programs processing program display
programs programs programs
 Information coding and decoding
• Human senses deal with a variety of information
(signals).
• Input devices of computer translates these
information into electrical signals, why electrical?.
• Electrical signals are then translated into universal
format (0s,1s), this is known as coding.
• After processing, output devices transform back data
into their original form, this is known as decoding
 Bit Pattern
• A bit is the smallest unit of data that the computer
deals with.
• a bit can take two values (0 or 1).
• A two-state electrical switch (transistor) is used to
represent a bit (on state →1, off state →0).
• To store 16 bits you need 16 switches, to store
million bits you need million switches.
• In computer memory data are stored as blocks of
bits (bit-patterns), the length of bit-patterns is the
number of bits in the bit-patterns.
• A bit-pattern of 8 bits length is called a byte
 Representing Data:
1. Text Representation
• Written text is made of alphabetical symbols
(letters). For example, in English there are 26
uppercase and 26 lowercase symbols.
• Each of those symbols is represented by
distinctive bit-pattern (code), ex table A1, P337.
• Once alphabetical symbols are represented by a
bit-pattern, any word that is made of
combination of letters can be represented.
 ”Representation of word “BYTE

Ex: 34 Page13
 Number of bits in bit-pattern
• The number of possible bit-patterns (symbols)
made of N number of bits, M is given by:
M = 2N
• Inversely, the number of bits needed to construct
M number of symbols is given by:
N= Log2 M ≈ 3.2 Log10 M
(Note: N must be rounded to next bigger integer)
• Ex: for M = 26, what is the min number of bits?
N= Log2 26 = 3.2 Log10 26 = 4.5 = 5 bits
 Code systems for text
representation
• There are about 5 code systems used to
represent alphabetical symbols:
1. ASCII (American Standard Code for Information
Interchange)
2. Extended ASCII
3. EBCDIC (Extended Coded Decimal Interchange
Code)
4. Unicode (Universal Code)
5. ISO (International Organization for Standardization)
 ASCII )1(

• In ASCII codes each code is made of 7 bits.

• Number of possible codes M = 27 = 128 codes.
• Bit-patterns ranging from 0000000 to 1111111
• The first pattern represents (null character)
• The last pattern represents (delete character)
• Appendix A
 Extended ASCII )2(
• Is invented to make the bit-pattern length
equal to 8 bits (Byte), by adding a bit to the
left of the ASCII code representation.
Ex. If ASCII code is 1111111 the extended
ASCII code is 01111111.
• Extended ASCII is not used because it is not
standardized as each manufacturer has
different 8-bits system.
 EBCDIC )3(
• Uses 8 bit patterns → # of codes = 28=256
• Just used in IBM mainframe (system)
 Unicode )4(
• To represent more languages’ character beside
English, Unicode is invented.
• Uses 16 bit pattern → # of codes = 216=65536
enough to represent all world’s languages.
• Some codes are allocated for geographical and
special symbols.
• Java uses Unicode, Microsoft uses the first 256
symbols
• Appendix B
 ISO )5(
• ISO uses 32 bit patterns
→ # of codes = 232=4,294,967,296 symbols
enough to represent all world’s symbols.
 Representing Data:
2. Image Representation

Image representation methods

 1. Bitmap Graphic
• Image is divided into matrix of pixels.
• A pixel represents a dot which is the smallest
unit of the image.
• Image resolution depends on the number of
pixels in the image.
• Higher resolution images require larger memory.
• Once image is divided into pixels, each pixel is
given a bit-pattern.
• The pixel bit-pattern determines the color of the
pixel
 Black & white)) Pixel Color
• For black and white images, only two bit-
patterns are needed, one to represent a black
pixel and the other to represent a white pixel.
• In this case, the length of the pattern could be
only one bit, i.e. 1 pattern to represent a black
pixel and 0 pattern to represent a white pixel.
• The rows of patterns are then stored in the
memory.
Bitmap graphic method of a
black-and-white image
 Pixel Color )gray scale(
• To represent a gray-scale image of 4 colors (for
example) we need to increase the length of
bit-pattern representing the pixel to be 2 bits.
• In this case
00→ black pixel
01→ dark gray pixel
10→ light gray pixel
11→ white pixel
 Pixel Color )colored pixel(
• Any visible color could be constructed from the 3
basic colors Red, Green, Blue (RBG)
• The difference between one color another depends
on the intensity of the RBG colors in the color
• Therefore, to represent a colored image, each pixel
in the image must be represented by 3 different bit-
patterns. Each of them represent the intensity of the
basic colors.
• The length of a bit pattern representing each basic
color is usually 8 bits
Representation of color pixels
 1. Vector Graphic
• Image is decomposed into lines and curves.
• Each curve and line is represented by a mathematical
formula.
• The mathematical formula is sorted.
• No bit-patterns are stored
• For example a line is described by its coordinates, the circle
is described by it’s the coordinates of its centre and length
of the radius.
• The advantage of vector representation is that image can
be scaled by multiplying the formula by the scale factor
without effecting the image resolution as in bitmap
representation
 Representing Data:
3. Audio Representation
• Audio is sound
• Sound signal is analog signal
• The representation of audio signal requires
converting analog signal into digital signal
(A/D)
Audio representation
 Representing Data:
4. Video Representation
• Video is a series of images (frame) shown
sequentially (one after another)
• Thus video data representation is basically the
representation of images changed with time.
• Video files are multimedia files
 Binary Notation
• Is a way to write binary numbers
• In this way we assign a symbol for multiples of
successive bits that makes the binary number
• We are going to learn two binary notation
systems:
– Octal notation: a symbol for 3 bits.
– Hexadecimal notation: a symbol for 4 bits.
 Decimal numbers
• A decimal number is made of digits
• A digit takes the value between (0-9)
• Each of the digits is multiplied by its weight
which is 10 to the power of 0 for the first digit
from the right, 1 for the second digit, 2 for the
third digit …. etc
 Binary numbers
• A binary number is made of digits
• A digit takes the value of either 0 or 1
• Each of the digit is multiplied by its weight
which is 2 to the power of 0 for the first digit
from the right, 1 for the second digit, 2 for the
third digit …. Etc
 Octal Notation
1. Oct means eight in Greek
2. In Octal notation, successive 3 bits are given a symbol (0, 1,
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7).
3. In binary to octal transformation, if the number of bits in a
bit pattern is not a multiple of three, we fill with 0s added
to the lift of bit-pattern to make the total number of bits
multiple of three.
4. Converted octal notation must be distinguished by either:
1. adding o or O in front of the octal number
2. Adding subscript 8 to the base of the octal number
 Hexadecimal Notation
1. hexadec means 16 in Greek
2. In hexadecimal notation, successive 4 bits are given a symbol (0,
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D,E, F).
3. In binary to hexadecimal transformation, if the number of bits in
a bit pattern is not a multiple of four, we fill with 0s added to the
lift of bit-pattern to make the total number of bits multiple of
four.
4. Converted hexadecimal notation must be distinguished by
either:
1. Adding x or X in front of the hexadecimal number
2. Adding subscript 16 to the base of the hexadecimal number
 Note
1. Octal or binary notation is just a way to
represent binary numbers (i.e. they are not a
numbering systems)
2. You have to make sure the converted
number is always distinguished.