3.3.3

Data Compression

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Types of Compression

Representing audio, images, and especially video take up a lot of secondary storage space. Compression helps to reduce the size of these files so that we can store more data.

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Lossy compression

  • An algorithm is applied to remove unnecessary detail from the original file.
  • Some data is permanently lost, but enough remains so that the file is still useful and there is barely a noticeable difference.
  • Lossy compression results in dramatic file size reduction.
  • JPEG and MP3 use lossy compression to store images and music, respectively.
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Lossless compression

  • None of the original data is lost.
  • An algorithm can be used to perfectly restore the original file when needed.
  • This is especially useful for executable files, where all of the data is necessary.
  • Lossless compression causes file size to reduce moderately.

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1Problem Solving

2Programming

3Data

4Computers

5Communication & The Internet

6The Bigger Picture

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