computer science

ISO/IEC 14651

ISO/IEC 14651 is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand ISO/IEC 14651 rather than just read about it. In short: ISO/IEC 14651:2016, Information technology -- International string ordering and comparison -- Method for comparing character strings and description of the common template tailorable ordering, is an International Organization for Standardization (ISO)/International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standard specifying an algorithm that can be used when comparing two strings. This comparison can be used when collatin…

Key takeaways

ISO/IEC 14651 belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect ISO/IEC 14651 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of ISO/IEC 14651 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

ISO/IEC 14651:2016, Information technology -- International string ordering and comparison -- Method for comparing character strings and description of the common template tailorable ordering, is an International Organization for Standardization (ISO)/International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standard specifying an algorithm that can be used when comparing two strings. This comparison can be used when collating a set of strings. The standard also specifies a data file, the Common Tailorable Template (CTT), which outlines the comparison order. This order is meant to be tailored for different languages, making the CTT a template rather than a default. In many cases, however, the empty tailoring—where no weightings are changed—is appropriate, as different languages have incompatible ordering requirements. One such tailoring is European ordering rules (EOR), which in turn is supposed to be tailored for different European languages. The Common Tailorable Template (CTT) data file of this ISO/IEC standard is aligned with the Default Unicode Collation Entity Table (DUCET) datafile of the Unicode collation algorithm (UCA) specified in Unicode Technical Standard #10. This is the fourth edition of the standard and was published on 2016-02-15, corrected on 2016-05-01 and covers up to and including Unicode 8.0. One additional amendment Amd.1:2017 was published in September 2017 and covers up to and including Unicode 9.0.

See also Collation – Assembly of written information into a standard order European ordering rules – Puts words into standard sequence ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 2 – Subcommittee for coded character sets Unicode – Character encoding standard

External links and references ISO site, "ISO/IEC 14651:2016". ISO/IEC 14651:2016 and Amd.1:2017 are freely available from the ISO website "What are the differences between the UCA and ISO 14651?"

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with ISO/IEC 14651

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what ISO/IEC 14651 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to ISO/IEC 14651 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about ISO/IEC 14651 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of ISO/IEC 14651

In research: ISO/IEC 14651 appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses ISO/IEC 14651 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: ISO/IEC 14651 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Collation, Computing stubs, ISO/IEC standards, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for ISO/IEC 14651 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study ISO/IEC 14651 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what ISO/IEC 14651 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain ISO/IEC 14651 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is ISO/IEC 14651 in simple terms?

Why does ISO/IEC 14651 matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study ISO/IEC 14651?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on ISO/IEC 14651.