Variable-length Codes


Variable-length codes are codes in which each symbol can be represented by a different number of bits. In other words, the length of the code assigned to each symbol is not fixed. Variable-length codes are used in space and astronautical engineering to efficiently encode and transmit data. They are particularly useful when the probability of occurrence of different symbols is not equal. By assigning shorter codes to more frequently occurring symbols and longer codes to less frequently occurring symbols, variable-length codes can reduce the overall number of bits required to transmit a message. This can be especially important in space applications where bandwidth is limited and every bit counts.


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