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BCD code | ASCII code | EBCDIC code | Unicode -Simple Explanation

Education

Introduction

Welcome to another comparison video! Today, we will explore the different coding systems used in computers. These systems help us store numeric, alphabetic, and special characters as binary numbers.

In the current era, four binary coding systems are widely recognized and used:

  1. BCD (Binary Coded Decimal)
  2. ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange)
  3. EBCDIC (Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code)
  4. Unicode

BCD (Binary Coded Decimal)

BCD stands for Binary Coded Decimal. This is one of the earliest coding systems used in computer technology. It represents each digit of a decimal number as its binary equivalent and can represent (2^4) symbols, meaning it can store 16 different characters.

ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange)

ASCII, an acronym for American Standard Code for Information Interchange, is more common than BCD. It uses 7 bits to represent each character, allowing for (2^7 = 128) unique symbols, including letters, digits, punctuation, and control characters.

EBCDIC (Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code)

EBCDIC stands for Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code. Developed by IBM, it uses 8 bits per character, enabling (2^8 = 256) different symbols. This coding system was traditionally used in mainframe and midrange computing environments.

Unicode

Unicode is the most comprehensive coding system, encompassing (2^(16)) symbols, which allows for 65,536 unique characters. Unlike ASCII and EBCDIC, Unicode supports a very wide range of characters, including those from languages like Sinhala, Chinese, Tamil, and even emoji. Each character has a unique Unicode code point recognized globally by computing systems.

Unicode is maintained by the International Standard and Unicode Consortium, which ensures that every character has a standardized code that is universally understandable by computers.

Hope you learned something new! Thanks for watching and please share this content.

Keywords

  • Binary Coded Decimal (BCD)
  • American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII)
  • Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code (EBCDIC)
  • Unicode
  • Computer coding systems
  • Binary numbers
  • Character representation

FAQ

Q: What is BCD in computer coding systems? A: BCD stands for Binary Coded Decimal and is one of the earliest coding systems used, capable of representing 16 different characters using 4 bits.

Q: How many symbols can ASCII represent? A: ASCII can represent 128 unique symbols using 7 bits.

Q: What does EBCDIC stand for and how many symbols can it represent? A: EBCDIC stands for Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code, and it can represent 256 different symbols using 8 bits.

Q: What is Unicode and why is it significant? A: Unicode is a comprehensive coding system that can represent 65,536 unique characters using 16 bits. It is significant because it supports a wide range of characters from various languages and symbols, beyond the limitations of ASCII and EBCDIC.

Q: Who maintains the Unicode standard? A: Unicode is maintained by the International Standard and the Unicode Consortium, ensuring global compatibility and recognition of characters.