Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
A compression method is a technique used to reduce the size of a file or data without losing important information. It eliminates redundancy and decreases the number of bits needed to represent the file.
Related terms
Lossless Compression: This compression method reduces file size without any loss of data. It preserves all the original information by finding patterns in the data and representing them more efficiently.
Lossy Compression: Unlike lossless compression, this method sacrifices some quality or details in order to achieve higher levels of compression. It discards certain less important parts of the original file.
Data Redundancy: Refers to unnecessary repetition or duplication of data within a file, which can be eliminated by compression methods.