The assignment is a fantastic way to learn about data compression and the fundamentals of binary data. By mapping A-Z and space to unique 5-bit codes, you can create an efficient, custom encoder.
Write an encode() function that transforms plaintext into ciphertext.
Which your course is using (Python or JavaScript)? 83 8 create your own encoding codehs answers exclusive
Use .toUpperCase() to ensure your encoding covers all input cases.
Since you need to encode 26 letters (A-Z) plus 1 space (27 characters total), you use the formula (Too small) (Fits all 27 characters with room for 5 extra symbols) : Your encoding should use 5 bits per character . Example Encoding Table (5-Bit) You can use a simple sequential mapping. For example: A 00000 K 01010 U 10100 B 00001 L 01011 V 10101 C 00010 M 01100 W 10110 D 00011 N 01101 X 10111 E 00100 O 01110 Y 11000 F 00101 P 01111 Z 11001 G 00110 Q 10000 Space 11010 H 00111 R 10001 I 01000 S 10010 J 01001 T 10011 How to Implement on CodeHS The assignment is a fantastic way to learn
Mathematically, if Encoding is index + key , Decoding is index - key .
The purpose of this exercise is to understand that any character can be represented by a unique sequence of bits (0s and 1s). Instead of using the 8-bit standard ASCII, you are tasked with creating a "compressed" or custom encoding scheme to represent A-Z and a space character. Which your course is using (Python or JavaScript)
Modulo arithmetic keeps numbers within a reasonable range (0-255). The decoding requires modular inverse or a lookup table.
# CodeHS 8.3.8: Create Your Own Encoding def encode(plaintext): """ Encodes text by shifting ASCII values by 4 and separating with a delimiter. """ encoded_result = "" for char in plaintext: # Get ASCII value, add shift of 4, and convert back to character shifted_char = chr(ord(char) + 4) # Append to result with a visual delimiter encoded_result += shifted_char + "*" return encoded_result def decode(ciphertext): """ Decodes the custom text by stripping delimiters and reversing the shift. """ decoded_result = "" # Split the string by the delimiter, ignoring the final trailing empty string char_list = ciphertext.split("*") for char in char_list: if char != "": # Reverse the shift by subtracting 4 original_char = chr(ord(char) - 4) decoded_result += original_char return decoded_result # Main program execution to test the functions def main(): user_input = input("Enter a message to encode: ") # Run encoding secret_message = encode(user_input) print("Encoded Message: " + secret_message) # Run decoding restored_message = decode(secret_message) print("Decoded Message: " + restored_message) if __name__ == "__main__": main() Use code with caution. Option 2: JavaScript Solution javascript