ENCODE

Encoding is like a secret code that people use to send messages. It's like when you and your friends make up a secret way of talking, using letters or symbols that mean something else. For example, you might agree that every time you say the word "dog," it really means "ice cream."

In computers, encoding is a way of converting data (like letters, numbers, and symbols) into a form that the computer can read and understand. This is important because the computer needs to be able to store and process information in a way that makes sense to it.

There are many different types of encoding, but one of the most common is ASCII encoding. In ASCII encoding, each character is assigned a number, which the computer can understand. For example, the letter "A" might be coded as the number 65, and the letter "a" might be coded as the number 97.

This allows computers to store and work with text in a way that makes sense to them. So when you type something on your computer, it's being encoded in a way that the computer can understand and use.