Difference
between data and information:
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Data
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Information
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Meaning:
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Data
is raw, unorganized facts that need to be processed.
Data can be something simple and seemingly random and useless until it is
organized.
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When data is
processed, organized, structured or presented in a given context so as to
make it useful, it is called Information.
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Example:
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Each student's test score is one piece of data
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The class' average score or the school's average score is the
information that can be concluded from the given data.
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Definition:
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Latin 'datum' meaning
"that which is given". Data was the plural
form of datum singular (M150 adopts the general use
of data as singular. Not everyone agrees.)
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Information is
interpreted data.
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Data Type:
In computer science and computer
programming, a data
type or simply type is a classification identifying one of various
types of data, such as real-valued, integer or Boolean, that determines the possible values
for that type; the operations that can be done on values of that type; the
meaning of the data; and the way values of that type can be stored.
Data Structure:
In computer science, a data structure is a
particular way of storing and organizing data in a computer so that it can be used efficiently.
Different kinds of data structures are suited to
different kinds of applications, and some are highly specialized to specific
tasks. For example, B-trees are particularly well-suited for
implementation of databases, while compiler implementations usually use hash tables to look up identifiers.
Data structures provide a means to manage large amounts
of data efficiently, such as large databases and internet indexing services. Usually, efficient data structures
are a key to designing efficient algorithms. Some formal design methods and programming
languages emphasize
data structures, rather than algorithms, as the key organizing factor in
software design. Storing and retrieving can be carried out on data stored in
both main memory and in secondary memory.
In programming, classification of a
particular type of information. It is easy for humans to distinguish between
different types of data.
We can usually tell at a glance whether a number is a percentage, a time, or an
amount of money. We do this through special symbols -- %, :, and $ -- that
indicate the data's type. Similarly, a computer uses special internal
codes to keep track of the different types of data it processes.
Data
structures have been classified in several ways. Different authors classify it
differently. Fig. shows different types of data
structures.
In
linear data structures, values are arranged in linear fashion. Arrays, linked
lists, stacks and queues are examples of linear data structures in which values
are stored in a sequence.
This
type is opposite to linear. The data values in this structure are not arranged
in order. Tree, graph, table and sets are examples of non-linear data
structures.
In
this type of data structures, values of the same types of data are stored, as
in an array.
In
this type of data structures, data values of different types are grouped, as in
structures and classes.
In
dynamic data structures such as references and pointers, size and memory
locations can be changed during program execution.
Static
keyword in C is used to initialize the variable to 0 (NULL). The value of a
static variable remains in the memory throughout the program. Value of static
variable persists. In C++ member functions are also declared as static and such
functions are called as static functions and can be invoked directly.
Figure 1. (a)Types of data structures
Figure 1. (b). Linear and non-linear data structures
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