quiz 4 data formats

Data Formats: Specifications for converting human data (language, images, sounds) into a form computers can process and store in binary.

Sources of Data: Data can come from binary input (e.g., a keyboard) or analog sources (e.g., sound or images), which require conversion to binary.

Metadata: Data that describes or interprets the meaning of other data.

Alphanumeric Codes: Systems like ASCII, Unicode, and EBCDIC assign binary values to characters like letters, numbers, and symbols.

ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange): A 7-bit code representing 128 characters, including letters, numbers, and symbols.

Unicode: A universal coding standard supporting over a million characters across multiple languages and scripts, with encoding methods like UTF-8, UTF-16, and UTF-32.

Collating Sequence: The order in which characters are sorted, determined by the coding scheme used (e.g., ASCII or EBCDIC).

Bitmap Images: Pixel-based images best for realistic photos or detailed graphics. Each pixel is stored as a binary number representing color or shading.

Object Images (Vector Graphics): Composed of lines and shapes based on mathematical formulas, allowing easy scaling and modification without losing quality.

GIF (Graphics Interchange Format): A lossless compression format for simple animations and images with up to 256 colors.

PNG (Portable Network Graphics): A lossless image format that supports transparency and up to 48 bits of color per pixel.

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group): A lossy compression format suitable for photographs and images with millions of colors.

Video Codec: Software or hardware for compressing and decompressing video files. Examples include MPEG-2, MPEG-4, and H.264.

Audio Data: Sound is digitized using sampling rates and stored in formats like MP3 (lossy compression) or WAV (uncompressed).

Sampling Rate: The number of times per second sound is measured during recording, typically expressed in kilohertz (e.g., 44.1 kHz for CDs).

Lossless Compression: Reduces file size without losing any data (e.g., GIF, ZIP).

Lossy Compression: Reduces file size by discarding some data, often unnoticeable to human perception (e.g., JPEG, MP3).

H.264: A video codec using both lossy and lossless compression for high compression ratios.

Page Description Languages: Describe layouts of text, images, and other objects on a page (e.g., HTML, PDF, PostScript).

Boolean Data Type: Represents true or false values.

Char Data Type: Holds a single alphanumeric character.

Enumerated Data Type: A user-defined type listing all possible values (e.g., days of the week).