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Parity


     A system for encoding binary characters with an
     odd or even number of binary "1" bits.  Parity is
     not related to whether the original characters are
     odd or even, but rather to how an individual
     character is made to have an odd or even number of
     "1" bits with the addition of one more bit (1 or
     0).  When even pariity is used, characters having
     an odd number of binary ones in their structure
     have a "1" bit added to make the number of "1"
     bits even.  Characters whose binary
     representation already has an even number of "1"
     bits have a "0" bit added so that the number of
     "1" bits remains even.  For the purpose of data
     processing and data communication, parity is used
     to provide a self-checking feature in bar codes
     and other transmission techniques.