Hawkynt

Single Parity Check

Simplest error correction code adding single parity bit to detect odd number of errors. Parameters (n, n-1, 2) giving code rate (n-1)/n. Can detect single-bit errors but cannot correct them. Dual of repetition code. Used in RAM, network packets (Ethernet CRC), serial communications. Extremely efficient for error detection.

Properties

Property Value
Category Error Correction
Sub-category Linear Code
Security status 🎓 Educational Only
Complexity Beginner
Inventor Unknown (classical technique)
Year 1948
Origin Not specified
Source algorithms/ecc/single-parity-check.js

Security

Status: 🎓 Educational Only

Known vulnerabilities

Issue Description Mitigation
Cannot Correct Errors Can only detect odd number of errors, cannot correct any errors. Even number of errors goes undetected. —
Minimum Distance 2 With d=2, can only detect single-bit errors, not correct them. —

Documentation

References

Test vectors

4 vectors ship with this algorithm and run in the test suite. Byte values are hexadecimal.

Vector 1 — SPC (5,4) all zeros

Field Value
input 00000000
expected 0000000000

Vector 2 — SPC (5,4) all ones

Field Value
input 01010101
expected 0101010100

Vector 3 — SPC (5,4) pattern 1010

Field Value
input 01000100
expected 0100010000

Vector 4 — SPC (5,4) pattern 1011

Field Value
input 01000101
expected 0100010101

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