The Fundamentals of Data
Albert J. Marcella, Frederic Guillossou · 2012
This chapter begins with a brief introduction and discussion on how computational communication systems have evolved and how we attempt to codify our ability to communicate in a world with only two possible states, a binary existence. It discusses the role of binary numbering systems in ability to represent the most basic patterns of human communication, and also how this binary system has allowed us to expand into producing complex alphabetic patterns, character sets, and ultimately a method that enables us to represent entire languages. Modern humans use character sets (or alphabets) to represent written sounds and words. In many alphabets, including Latin-based alphabets, each symbol or letter has its own phonetic sound. The letter (or combination of letters, such as “ph”) is paired to its corresponding sound, forming a character code. It is through the combination of these symbols or letters that humans generate words, then phrases, and ultimately complex communication.