Decoding the Mystery of Golomb Codes: A Data Compression Deep Dive
What is Golomb Coding?
- A unary code combined with a fixed-length code.
- Used for compressing data where small integers are more frequent than large ones.
- Ideal for data with geometric distributions.
- Parameter 'm' determines the code's structure.
How Golomb Code Works
- Divides the input integer 'n' by 'm' (the code parameter).
- Represents the quotient using unary coding.
- Represents the remainder using a fixed-length binary code (length log₂m).
Example: Golomb Code with m = 3
- Let's encode the integer 7.
- Divide 7 by 3: 7 ÷ 3 = 2 remainder 1.
- Quotient (2) in unary: 110.
- Remainder (1) in binary (log₂3 ≈ 2, so we'll use 2 bits): 01.
- Complete Golomb code for 7 (with m=3): 11001.
Decoding Golomb Codes
- Read the unary part to obtain the quotient.
- Read the fixed-length binary part to obtain the remainder.
- Calculate: (quotient * m) + remainder.
Golomb Code Advantages
- Efficient for data with skewed distributions.
- Relatively simple to implement.
- Adaptable by changing the parameter 'm'.
Golomb Code Limitations
- Parameter 'm' selection is crucial for optimal compression.
- Inefficient if the distribution significantly deviates from geometric.
- Less efficient than other methods for uniformly distributed data.
**Google Search Description:** Learn Golomb coding for data compression. Understand its principles, encoding, decoding, advantages, and limitations. Ideal for data with skewed distributions. Master this efficient compression technique!