GATE 2018 EC – Question 26
Consider a binary channel code in which each codeword has a fixed length of 5 bits. The Hamming distance between any pair of distinct codewords in this code is at least 2. The maximum number of codewords such a code can contain is ________.
Practise this question in The GATE Grind →
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: 16
Explanation
A code with minimum distance 2 can be made from all 4-bit messages with a parity bit added. Any two codewords differ in at least 2 positions. The maximum is $2^{5-1}=16$ codewords.