Part 5/8:
However, it’s not foolproof; knowing only that an error exists does not reveal its position or number. The clever aspect of Hamming codes is the use of multiple parity checks across selected subsets, refining the error location rather than just detecting it.
The Hamming Code Mechanism
Hamming specified multiple parity checks to methodically identify errors:
Subsets of Bits: Parity checks are applied to various configurations of bits, allowing the sender to correct errors efficiently.
Binary Search Method: Each parity check provides a “yes/no” answer, significantly narrowing down potential error locations. For a 16-bit block, these checks result in four questions, effectively halving the search space.