< algorithm > Extra, redundant bits added to stored or transmitted data for the purposes of error detection and correction .
Named after the mathematician Richard Hamming , Hamming codes greatly improve the reliability of data, e.g. from distant space probes, where it is impractical, because of the long transmission delay, to correct errors by requesting retransmission.
[Detail? Connection with Hamming Distance ?]
(2002-07-02)