reduction of a file containing data using a special algorithm (Computers)
In
computer science and
information theory, data compression or source coding is the process of encoding information using fewer
bits (or other information-bearing units) than an
un-encoded representation would use through use of specific
encoding schemes. For example, this article could be encoded with fewer bits if one were to accept the convention that the word "compression" be encoded as "comp." One popular instance of compression with which many computer users are familiar is the
ZIP file format, which, as well as providing compression, acts as an
archiver, storing many files in a single output file.
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1. Increasing the amount of
data that can be stored in a given
domain, such as space,
time, or
frequency, or contained in a given
message length. 2. Reducing the amount of
storage space required to store a given amount of data, or reducing the length of message required to
transfer a given amount of
information. Note 1: Data compression may be accomplished by simply squeezing a given amount of data into a smaller space, for example, by increasing
packing density or by transferring data on punched cards onto
magnetic tape. Note 2: Data compression does not reduce the amount of data used to represent a given amount of information, whereas
data compaction does. Both data compression and data compaction result in the use of fewer data elements for a given amount of
information.