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parity bit
This term is a technical specification used primarily in computer science and digital communications. It describes a rudimentary form of error detection where a redundant bit is appended to a data block to maintain a specific parity (even or odd). It is distinct from more complex error-correction codes like Hamming codes, as a parity bit can only detect that an error occurred, not locate or fix it.
In practical application, the term is almost always used in the context of data transmission or memory storage. Users should be aware that while the term "parity" alone can refer to equality or equivalence in general English, "parity bit" is strictly a technical term referring to this binary checksum mechanism.
Meanings
A single bit added to a string of binary code to ensure that the total number of one-bits in the string is either even or odd, used for basic error detection in data transmission.
The system uses a parity bit to detect single-bit errors during the transfer of data between the CPU and memory.