21.4. Prefix Codes

Try these first

1. 1.

   What is a prefix code?

   Hint

   Think about why we need clarity in decoding.

2. 2.

   Can you name one application of variable length encoding?

   Hint

   Think about how data is compressed.

3. 3.

   What does Huffman coding optimize for?

   • Minimizing complexity
   • Minimizing average bit length
   • Maximizing data size

   Hint

   Consider what it means to be 'efficient' in data encoding.

4. 4.

   True or False? Prefix codes allow for ambiguous decoding.

   • True
   • False

   Hint

   Think about how unambiguous is related to prefixes.

5. 5.

   Given the frequencies of letters A: 0.4, B: 0.3, C: 0.2, and D: 0.1, construct a Huffman tree and assign the codes.

   Hint

   Combine the lowest frequencies first.

6. 6.

   Explain how you would adjust Huffman coding if working with a different language like French.

   Hint

   Consider the significance of character distribution in different languages.