Binary Codes
Internal
Overview
A binary code is a function that maps each character of an alphabet Σ to a binary string.
Fixed Length Code
A fixed length binary code is a binary code that maps each character of the alphabet Σ to a fixed length code. Arbitrary characters have the same length representation in the binary code. ASCII is an example of a fixed length binary code. However, in case when some characters are more likely to appear than others, a schema that allocates shorter codes to characters that are likely to appear more frequently tends to encode information using fewer bits. This encoding schemas are called variable length codes.
Variable Length Code
A variable length binary code is a binary code that maps each character of the alphabet Σ to a variable length code, usually in relation to the frequency the character is used in certain patterns of communication. The more frequent characters are associated with shorter variable length codes.