Huffman Coding

Huffman coding is a widely used method of lossless data compression, developed by David A. Huffman. It's based on the frequency of occurrence of a data item (like a character in a file). The process involves creating a binary tree where each leaf node represents a data item, and the path from the root to the leaf represents the binary code of the item.

Items that occur more frequently are given shorter codes, while less frequent items receive longer codes. This variable-length coding leads to a reduction in the overall size of the data. Huffman coding is efficient and optimal for a given set of probabilities, making it a common technique in compression algorithms like those used in ZIP files and JPEG image compression.

Huffman coding is used in various applications for efficient data compression. Its most notable uses include:

  1. File Compression: In file compression algorithms like those in ZIP and RAR formats.
  2. Multimedia: Widely used in JPEG image compression and MP3 audio compression.
  3. Transmission: Huffman coding is employed in data transmission to reduce the amount of data sent.
  4. Error Correction Codes: It's used in creating more efficient error correction codes.