GEC 104 Mathematics in the Modern World

Module 2 The Beauty of Codes

Objectives At the end of the module, the student is expected to

1. give the equivalent in Hindu-Arabic of the numerals from other number
systems.
2. give the importance of barcodes
3. use check digits for error detection.

Introduction
Codes were already around since the time of our ancestors. A code is a symbolic way to
represent information. In qualitative inquiry, a code is most often a word or a short phrase that
symbolically assigns a summative, salient, essence-capturing, and evocative attribute for a
portion of language-based or visual data (Saldaña, 2013). Below is an example of a message
hidden in codes (in a form of a riddle):
“I stand alone before fifty in Rome. None came before five, the three inverted, and you will be the last.”
Message: _____________________________

People may use other words or phrases to code the above mentioned message since in qualita-
tive data analysis, coding is not a precise science. Different cultures use different codes or
symbols for expressing numbers. Below are some examples.

Hieroglyphic Numeral System

During the ancient times, hieroglyphics (or sacred writings) were used by the Egyptians in
their writing system. The Egyptian counting system was comprehensive compared to their
contemporaries. They even had a symbol to represent infinity.

Chinese Numeral System

Chinese writing is basically logographic writing system, one of the world’s great writing
systems. It is now recognized that the system represents the Chinese language by means of
a logographic script. Each graph or character corresponds to one meaningful unit of the
language, not directly to a unit of thought (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Chinese-writing).

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 10 100 1000 10,000 100,000,000
Chinese Numerals
Roman Numerals

(https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&q=roman+number+system&chips)

Binary Number System

The binary system is a number system that uses only two values (0,1; on, off) to
represent codes and data. Since zeros and ones can be easily represented by two voltages, the
binary system is the foundation on which digital technology is built. Every digital computer whether a
pocket calculator or a mainframe uses the same binary notation.

(http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/binary-system.html)

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Exercises:
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 1. How many 5-character codes can be formed if the first and last characters will be made
up of consonant letters of the English alphabet and the middle characters will be made
up of odd numbers, and that all the characters in the code are distinct?

2. How many 6-digit binary codes can be formed if the code must start with 1 and ends
with 0?

3. Write the following in the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic numeral system.

(a) 1,152,394 (b) MCMLXXXVII

Barcodes
A barcode is an optical, machine-readable, representation of data. Traditional barcodes
systematically represent data by varying the widths and spacings of parallel lines, and may be
referred to as linear or one dimensional (1D). Later, two-dimensional (2D) variants were
developed, using rectangles, dots, hexagons and other geometric patterns, called matrix codes
or 2D barcodes, although they do not use bars as such. Initially, barcodes were only scanned by
special optical scanners called barcode readers. Later application software became available for
devices that could read images, such as smartphones with cameras. Barcode was invented by
Norman Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver and patented in the United States in 1952.
Barcodes became commercially successful when they were used to automate
supermarket checkout systems, a task for which they have become almost universal. Their use
has spread to many other tasks that are generically referred to as Automatic Identification and
Data Capture (AIDC). The very first scanning of the now-ubiquitous Universal Product Code
(UPC) barcode was on a pack of Wrigley Company’s Juicy Fruit Gum in June 26, 1974. Quick
Response (QR) codes, a specific type of 2D barcode, have recently become very popular. Since
then, barcoding has become an efficient way of translating data instantaneously and accurately.
It is used for automated data collection. It eliminates the occurrence of human error since through
the use of a bar scanner, transmitting data is fast and reliable and takes lesser time than entering
them manually. Here are some types of linear or one-dimensional (1D) barcodes.

UPC EAN- 13 Pharmacode

POSTNET Pessey ITF-14

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Here are some types of matrix or two-dimensional (2D) barcodes.

Aztec MaxiCode Quick Response (QR) PDF-147

Because of error correction capability, it is possible to create artistic barcodes that incorporate
colors, logos, and other features, making them readable or attractive to the human eye, but still
scan correctly. That is why there are also some products that have customized barcodes.

Some customized barcodes

Identification Numbers
Identification numbers are used to identify individual items, specific products, people,
account or documents. These numbers are useful for the easy recognition or direction of materials
and for tracking and inventory purposes of products or documents (Kirtland, 2000). A numeric
identification number is a single positive number or a string of digits, sometimes separated by
dashes or spaces. An example of this is the Tax Identification Number (TIN). An alphanumeric
identification number has a string of digits, letters or/and even other symbols. The vehicle plate
is an example of an alphanumeric identification number.
A check digit or a check sum is used to verify errors on identification numbers. In
general, a check digit is a single number that is generated using the other characters from the
identification number. Different identification numbers use different check digit schemes.

Universal Product Code

A Universal Product Code (UPC) is the 12-digit identification number of a retail item.
Nearly every item that we purchase from a supermarket and department store has a UPC on it.

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These barcodes were originally created to help grocery and department stores speed up the
checkout process and keep track of inventory. The system quickly spread to many other retail
products. A manufacturer applies to the Uniform Code Council (UCC) for permission to join the
UPC system and pays an annual fee. The UCC issues the manufacturer an identification number
and provides guidelines on how to use it. The manufacturer designates a UPC coordinator who
is responsible for assigning item numbers to products, making sure that the same code is not
used on more than one product, retiring codes as products are removed from the product line.
The UPC is referred as UPC-A in the United States. A 12-digit UPC d1d2d3d4d5d6d7d8d9d10d11d12
is properly written as d1 d2d3d4d5d6 d7d8d9d10d11 d12 or d1d2d3d4d5d6d7d8d9d10d11d12. The following
table lists the different values of d1.

d1 Specific Use
0 General groceries
2 Meat products
3 Drug and health products
4 Non-food items
5 Coupons
6, 7 Other items
1, 8, 9 Reserved for future use

The second set consists of five digits d2d3d4d5d6 identifies the manufacturer while the third set of
five digits d7d8d9d10d11 identifies the product. In the bar code above, 0 is the type of product, 20357
is the manufacturer identification number and 12268 is the item number. In general, every item
that the manufacturer sells, as well as every size of the packaging and every repackaging of the
item, needs a different item code. For example, a 12-ounce can of soda needs a different item
number than a 16-ounce bottle version, as does a 6-pack of 12-ounce cans, a 12-pack, a 24-can
case, and so on. It is the responsibility of the UPC coordinator to keep track of all these numbers.
The last digit d12 is the check digit. This digit lets the system determine if it scanned the number
correctly or not. Given the 11-digit string d1d2d3d4d5d6d7d8d9d10d11, the check digit d12 is added so
that 3d1 + d2 + 3d3 + d4 + 3d5 + d6 + 3d7 + d8 + 3d9 + d10 + 3d11 + d12 is divisible by 10. Each time the
scanner scans an item, it performs this calculation. If the check digit it calculates is different from
the check digit it reads, the scanner knows that something went wrong and the item needs to be
rescanned.

Examples
1. The UPC 0-53600-10054-0 (or sometimes written as 0 53600 10054 0) is valid since
3(0) + 5 + 3(3) + 6 + 3(0) + 0 + 3(1) + 0 + 3(0) + 5 + 3(4) + 0 = 40 is divisible by 10.
2. Find the check digit of the UPC 7-70832-30854-x.
Solution: Note that 3(7) + 7 + 3(0) + 8 + 3(3) + 2 + 3(3) + 0 + 3(8) + 5 + 3(4) = 97. Thus,
we add 3, which is the smallest positive integer less than 10, so that the sum
becomes 100, which is divisible by 10. Hence, x = 3.
3. The UPC of Kellogg's Corn Flakes Cereal 24 oz (Pack of 14) is 0 38000 00127 7. Deter-
mine how a barcode scanner would detect the error if the above-mentioned code was
entered into the computer as 0 58000 00127 7.

Solution: Note that 3(0) + 5 + 3(8) + 0 + 3(0) + 0 + 3(0) + 0 + 3(1) + 2 + 3(7) + 7 = 62,
which is not divisible by 10. Another solution is that if we only consider the first

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 11 digits, we have 3(0) + 5 + 3(8) + 0 + 3(0) + 0 + 3(0) + 0 + 3(1) + 2 + 3(7) = 55,
and by adding 5, we get 70 which is divisible by 10. But 5 is not the check digit.
International Article Number
The International Article Number (also known as European Article Number or EAN) is
a numbering system used in global trade to identify a specific retail product type, in a specific
packaging configuration, from a specific manufacturer. This numbering system includes EAN-2,
EAN-5, EAN-8 and EAN-13. The most commonly used EAN code is the 13-digit EAN-13 code, a
superset of the original 12-digit Universal Product Code of America (UPC-A). The UPC-A format
barcodes have in tradition been used in the USA, whereas EAN-13 format barcodes have been
used throughout the rest of the world. Nowadays, the majority of stores throughout the world
accept barcodes in either format. However there might be some older systems that only accept
one or the other. This means that if your product is being sold in the USA, the UPC-A format
barcodes are best, however if your product is international, or sold in a country other than the
USA, an EAN-13 barcode is best. An EAN-13 barcode is consist of the country code,
manufacturer code, product code and check digit, respectively. Most of the products here in the
Philippines use EAN-13 barcodes. Our country code is 480.
Given the 12-digit string d1d2d3d4d5d6d7d8d9d10d11d12, the check digit d13 is added so that
d1 + 3d2 + d3 + 3d4 + d5 + 3d6 + d7 + 3d8 + d9 + 3d10 + d11 + 3d12 + d13 is divisible by 10. An EAN-13
code is usually written as d1d2d3d4d5d6d7d8d9d10d11d12d13 or d1 d2d3d4d5d6d7 d8d9d10d11d12d13.
Remark: It can be observed that in a UPC-A code, the odd-numbered digits are multiplied by 3
while in an EAN-13 code, the even-numbered digits are multiplied by 3.

Exercises:
1. Suppose that the packaging of a certain grocery item was damaged in such a way that
the 5th digit of a UPC-A code was scratched off but the remaining 11 remaining digits
(from d1 to d12) shows 8-8072-30358-4. Determine the correct UPC number.

2. Which of the following are valid UPCs?

(a) 0-51000-02562-4 (c) 0-70501-09110-4
(b) 0-51000-02526-4 (d) 1-23004-24410-7

3. Show that the EAN-13 barcode of the following Philippine made products are valid.
(a) Goldilocks PinoyDeli Laing (150 g): 4-800111-009901
(b) Doctor J 70% Solution Ethyl Alcohol (500 mL): 4-809012-648165
(c) Mr. Chips Nacho Cheese Flavor (100 g): 4-800016-653094

4. The UPC for a certain product is 0 51000 02526 5. Explain why the errors in the following
misread versions of this UPC would not be detected as errors.
(a) 0 51000 02625 5 (b) 0 50000 05526 5

5. Find the check digit of an EAN-13 code whose first 12 digits are 132576409827.
6. Give the importance of barcodes.

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 Nestea QR code Sivatel Bangkok WeChat QR code Tag Heuer QR code

Quick Response Codes

The Quick Response (QR) code was invented in Japan by Toyota subsidiary Denso-
Wave in 1994 to track vehicles during the manufacturing process. It was designed to allow high-
speed component scanning. It has since become one of the most popular product tagging
schemes.
Unlike the one-dimensional UPC that is scanned by a narrow beam of light to extract data,
the QR code is detected as a two-dimensional digital image by a semi-conductor image sensor.
The sensor locates the three distinctive squares at the corners of the image, and uses a smaller
square near the 4th corner to normalize the image for size, orientation and angle of viewing. The
smaller dots are then converted into binary numbers and their validity checked with error-
correcting code.
QR codes have become common in consumer advertising. Smartphone users can install
an application (app) which scans a displayed code, converts the code to a URL, and opens the
smartphone’s browser to the website of the company, store or product associated with the code.
The amount of data that can be stored in the QR code symbol depends on the data type, version
and error correction level. The higher the error correction level, the less storage capacity. The
following table lists the approximate error correction capability at each four levels.

Level No. of codewords that

can be restored
L (Low) 7
M (Medium) 15
Q (Quartile) 25
H (High) 30

Performance Task
Collect 4 - 6 labels or wrappers of your favorite products. Cut the portion with barcode and
paste them on a short bond paper. Identify whether the code is UPC or EAN-13

References

Kirtland, J. (2000). Identification numbers and check digit schemes (Classroom resource
materials). American Mathematical Society.
Nocon, E. and Nocon, R. (2018). Essential Mathematics for the Modern World. Quezon City: C&E
Publishing.
Ragasa, C., Evangelista, J. and Baltazar, E. (2018) Mathematics in the Modern World. Quezon
City: C&E Publishing.
Saldaña, J. (2013). The coding manual for qualitative researches. Los Angeles: SAGE Pub-
lications
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