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.
