Introduction / Context:
ASCII and EBCDIC are legacy character encodings used to represent letters, digits, and symbols on computers. Understanding how they differ matters for sorting behavior, interoperability, and porting software between systems (e.g., mainframes vs microcomputers).
Given Data / Assumptions:
- ASCII: 7-bit code commonly stored in 8-bit bytes.
- EBCDIC: 8-bit code used predominantly on IBM mainframes.
- Question focuses on what they differ in most fundamentally.
Concept / Approach:
- Collating sequence is the order assigned to characters for comparison and sorting.
- ASCII and EBCDIC place letters, digits, and punctuation in different relative orders.
- Both are typically stored in single bytes on most systems, so storage size is not the core difference in practice.
Step-by-Step Explanation:
Review ASCII: digits '0'–'9' (0x30–0x39) occur before uppercase letters (0x41–0x5A) and lowercase (0x61–0x7A).Review EBCDIC: letters and digits are arranged in non-contiguous blocks, yielding different sort orders.Implication: programs that sort strings will yield different results across ASCII vs EBCDIC without translation tables.
Verification / Alternative check:
Consider sorting strings that mix digits and letters; ASCII puts digits before letters, while EBCDIC order is different, proving collating-sequence differences.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
- Efficiency in storing data: Both are byte-oriented in practice; difference is not fundamental here.
- Random/sequential access method: This pertains to storage/media, not character encoding.
- Number of bytes used: Typically one byte each; ASCII is 7-bit but stored in a byte.
- None of the above: Incorrect because collating sequence differences are well-known.
Common Pitfalls:
- Assuming ASCII always uses fewer bytes; on most systems it still occupies one byte.
- Confusing encoding with file I/O access methods.
Final Answer:
their collating sequences
Discussion & Comments