Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science

How is a letter represented inside a computer system according to the Unicode standard?

1. As a binary code

2. As a character array

3. As a symbolic reference

4. Using a numeric code

The correct answer is: Using a numeric code

In computer systems, the Unicode standard represents each letter and character using a unique numeric code, which allows for the consistent encoding, representation, and handling of text. This numeric code corresponds to specific characters, enabling different systems and platforms to understand and display the same characters accurately, regardless of the language or script being used. For example, the letter 'A' has a specific numeric value in Unicode. This means that any program or device that understands Unicode can interpret this numeric code and render the corresponding character as 'A'. The use of numeric codes is advantageous because it allows for a unified way to represent a vast array of characters beyond just the basic Latin alphabet, supporting thousands of characters from various languages and symbol sets. While binary code also plays a role in the representation of these numeric codes at the hardware level, it is the numeric code itself that is critical for the identification and interoperability of characters across different systems and applications. It serves as a bridge between human-readable characters and machine-readable formats, making the use of numeric codes a fundamental aspect of character representation in Unicode.