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Information about Encoding

Encoding is the process of transforming information from one format into another. The opposite operation is called decoding.

There are a number of more specific meanings that apply in certain contexts:
  • Encoding (in cognition) is a basic perceptual process of interpreting incoming stimuli; technically speaking, it is a complex, multi-stage process of converting relatively objective sensory input (e.g., light, sound) into subjectively meaningful experience.
  • Character encoding is a code that pairs a set of natural language characters (such as an alphabet or syllabary) with a set of something else, such as numbers or electrical pulses.
  • Text encoding uses a markup language to tag the structure and other features of a text to facilitate processing by computers. (See also Text Encoding Initiative.)
  • Semantics encoding of formal language A in formal language B is a method of representing all terms (e.g. programs or descriptions) of language A using language B.
  • Electronic encoding transforms a signal into a code optimized for transmission or storage, generally done with a codec.
  • Neural encoding is the way in which information is represented in neurons.
  • Memory encoding is the process of converting sensations into memories.
  • Encryption transforms information for secrecy.

See Also

Decoding is the reverse of encoding, which is the process of transforming information from one format into another. Information about decoding can be found in the following:
  • Analog decoding, the use of analog circuit for decoding operations

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A character encoding consists of a code that pairs a sequence of characters from a given character set (sometimes referred to as code page) with something else, such as a sequence of natural numbers, octets or electrical pulses, in order to facilitate the storage of text in
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ABCs redirects here, for the Alien Big Cats, see British big cats.


An alphabet is a standardized set of letters
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syllabary is a set of written symbols that represent (or approximate) syllables, which make up words. A symbol in a syllabary typically represents an optional consonant sound followed by a vowel sound.
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markup language provides a way to combine a text and extra information about it. The extra information, including structure, layout, or other information, is expressed using markup, which is typically intermingled with the primary text.
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The Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) is a consortium of institutions and research projects which collectively maintains and develops a standard for the representation of texts in digital form.
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A semantics encoding is a "translation" between formal languages.

For programmers, the most familiar form of encoding is the compilation of a programming language into machine code or byte-code. Conversion between document formats are also forms of encoding.
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An encoder is a device used to change a signal (such as a bitstream) or data into a code. The code may serve any of a number of purposes such as compressing information for transmission or storage, encrypting or adding redundancies to the input code, or translating from one code
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In communications, a code is a rule for converting a piece of information (for example, a letter, word, or phrase) into another form or representation, not necessarily of the same type.
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In telecommunications, transmission is the forwarding of signal traffic over distances that are too great to be simply connected by a twisted pair wires. Techniques available now may be microwave link, satellite link, coaxial cable or fibre optic cable.
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Data storage can refer to:
  • Computer data storage; memory, components, devices and media that retain digital computer data used for computing for some interval of time.

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codec, see Codec (disambiguation).


A codec is a device or program capable of performing encoding and decoding on a digital data stream or signal. The word codec may be a combination of any of the following: 'Compressor-Dec
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Neural encoding is the way in which information is represented in neurons. Information is encoded into different patterns of action potentials.
Sensory events, such as a light being on or off, can be represented in different ways:
  • With a time code

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Neurons (also known as neurones and nerve cells) are electrically excitable cells in the nervous system that process and transmit information. In vertebrate animals, neurons are the core components of the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves.
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In the study of memory, encoding is the processing of physical sensory input into one's memory. It is considered the first of three steps in memory information processing; the remaining two steps are storage and retrieval.
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encryption is the process of transforming information (referred to as plaintext) to make it unreadable to anyone except those possessing special knowledge, usually referred to as a key.
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Secrecy is the practice of sharing information among a group of people, which can be as small as one person, while hiding it from others. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret. Secrecy is often controversial.
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The term coding has the following meanings:
  • In communications systems, the altering of the characteristics of a signal to make the signal more suitable for an intended application, such as optimizing the signal for transmission, improving transmission quality and fidelity,

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