Parity (telecommunication)

Parity is a way to check for mistakes when sending information from one place to another through a wire or some other connection. Think of it like when you play a matching game – you want to make sure all the cards match before you move on to the next.

In the case of sending information, parity works by adding an extra bit (a 0 or 1) to each group of bits (binary code) that is being sent. This extra bit is used to check if the group of bits is being sent correctly.

If the group of bits has an odd number of 1s, the extra bit added would make the total number of 1s even. This is called odd parity. If the group of bits already has an even number of 1s, the extra bit added would make the total number of 1s odd. This is called even parity.

When the information is received, the system checks the extra bit (parity bit) to make sure the information was correctly transmitted. If the parity bit doesn't match the rest of the bits, it means an error occurred and the information needs to be sent again to make sure it was transmitted correctly.

Overall, parity is like a "double-check" to make sure information is sent and received correctly, so you can be sure all the information is correct when you get it.