Hamming Code
A family of linear error-correcting codes that uses parity relationships to correct single-bit errors and detect selected multi-bit errors.
A Hamming code is a family of linear block codes that adds parity bits so a decoder can locate and correct a single-bit error under its designed error model.
Information-Theory Context
Hamming codes are linear block codes whose parity-check relationships let a decoder locate a single erroneous bit from the syndrome. SECDED variants add an overall parity bit to combine single-error correction with double-error detection.
Terminology Boundary
Hamming distance and a Hamming code are related but not interchangeable concepts: one is a metric between bit strings, while the other is a specific family of code constructions built around distance properties.
Related Information-Theory Concepts
- Error-Correcting Code
- Hamming Distance
- Parity
- Syndrome