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The Baudot code, developed by Émile Baudot in the late 19th century, is indeed a significant encoding system used historically in telegraphy and early teletype machines. Here’s a breakdown of its key characteristics:
- Character Representation: Each character is represented by a unique combination of five bits. This allows for a total of 32 different characters (2^5) to be encoded.
- Start and Stop Elements: In teleprinter applications, typically one start bit and one stop bit are added to each group of five bits to frame the character. This framing helps synchronize the receiving and transmitting devices.
- Binary Representation: The five-bit code provides a straightforward binary representation of characters, enabling efficient transmission over telegraph lines and later over teleprinter systems.
- Usage: Baudot code was widely used in early telegraphy and teletype machines for transmitting text messages. It was a predecessor to more advanced encoding systems like ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange).
- Variants: Over time, variations of Baudot code were developed to accommodate different languages and specific uses, such as the International Telegraph Alphabet No. 2 (ITA2), which included additional characters and symbols.
In summary, the Baudot code’s simplicity and efficiency made it a foundational technology in early telecommunications, paving the way for modern digital communication systems.
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