Unit 8: Error-Correcting Codes

This is an archived version of this module from Spring 2020.
Click here for the current iteration.

This unit covers techniques to detect and correct errors in a communication channel:

• code-distance lower bounds
• parity bits
• Hamming codes

Learning outcomes

1. Understand the context of error-prone communication.
2. Understand concepts of error-detecting codes and error-correcting codes.
3. Know and understand the terminology of block codes.
4. Know and understand Hamming codes, in particular 4+3 Hamming code.
5. Reason about the suitability of a code for an application.

Material

• lecture notes
• slides
• tutorial problems
• Lecture 2020-04-21: Intro + Lower bounds

• Lecture 2020-04-21: Hamming codes

Further reading and sources

The exposition is based on Leszek Gąsieniec’s material from previous iterations of COMP526.