Comp Sci Answer: Dictionary Compression: Solving the Mystery of "01

[Villiers]

Homework Statement

In a text document each letter could be stored as an ASCII code of 8 bits
In this document the word ‘because’ requires 56 bits of data (7 letters x 8 bits)
Instead, the word could be added to a dictionary and assigned the binary code 01 which is a reduction of 38 bits for each occurrence
A saving for 50 occurrences of the word:

Relevant Equations

50 x 54 bits saving = 2,700 bits saved, or 338 bytes

Hi

I have the answer to the dictionary compression question- but can't understand the following in the notes:

Instead, the word could be added to a dictionary and assigned the binary code 01 which is a reduction of 38 bits for each occurrence - what does this mean?

This is the extract in full:
In compressing larger volumes, a document of 100 pages could contain the word ‘because’ 50 times, resulting in 2000 bits of data being required. Instead the word could be added to a dictionary and assigned the code 01 which is a reduction of 38 bits for each occurrence. There would still be a slight overhead in terms of the storage of the dictionary but this would only be a one-off entry per word.

 

[FactChecker]

Words could be assigned a number, which is stored instead of the entire word. Webster's Dictionary contains 470,000 words. That would require 19 bits to give each word a unique number. The explanation you quoted seems to use 18 bits instead of 19 (because 56-38=18). That would allow you to assign unique numbers to $2^{18} = 262,144$ words.

CORRECTION: It looks like it is talking about making a lookup list of only the words in the document, not an entire English language dictionary. So the word ‘because’ is the first word in the lookup list with index 01 and any occurrence of that word in the text is replaced by '01'.

 

[Villiers]

thank you for your feedback

 

[pbuk]

Words could be assigned a number, which is stored instead of the entire word. Webster's Dictionary contains 470,000 words. That would require 19 bits to give each word a unique number. The explanation you quoted seems to use 18 bits instead of 19 (because 56-38=18). That would allow you to assign unique numbers to $2^{18} = 262,144$ words.

I don't think this is what the question means, you are adding in assumptions which I can't see are justified.

Let's have another look:

In compressing larger volumes, a document of 100 pages could contain the word ‘because’ 50 times, resulting in 2000 bits of data being required.

So each occurrence of 'because' requires 2000 ÷ 50 = 40 bits. This is clearly not ASCII so the calculation 7 x 8 = 56 bits is not relevant.

Instead the word could be added to a dictionary and assigned the code 01 which is a reduction of 38 bits for each occurrence.

01 is two bits, 40 - 2 = 38.

 

[FactChecker]

I don't think this is what the question means, you are adding in assumptions which I can't see are justified.

I stand corrected. It looks like it is talking about making a lookup list of only the words in the document, not an entire English language dictionary. So the word ‘because’ is the first word in the lookup list with index 01 and any occurrence of that word in the text is replaced by '01'.