*Question E8D10:
What are some of the differences between the Baudot digital code and ASCII?*  

*Correct Answer is  B: Baudot uses 5 data bits per character, ASCII uses 7 or 8; Baudot uses 2 characters as letters/figures shift codes, ASCII has no letters/figures shift code*  

### AI Response: (may contain errors)  

The question compares the Baudot digital code with ASCII, focusing on the number of data bits per character and the use of shift codes.

### Correct Answer: B
- **Baudot Code:**
  - Uses 5 data bits per character.
  - Employs 2 special characters as shift codes to switch between letters and figures (numbers and punctuation).
- **ASCII Code:**
  - Uses 7 or 8 data bits per character.
  - Does not use shift codes for letters/figures; each character has a unique code.

### Why the Correct Answer is Correct:
- **5 Data Bits in Baudot:** Baudot is a 5-bit code, which means it can represent $2^5 = 32$ different symbols. This is why it needs shift codes to expand its character set.
- **7 or 8 Data Bits in ASCII:** ASCII uses 7 bits for standard characters, allowing $2^7 = 128$ different symbols. Extended ASCII uses 8 bits, allowing $2^8 = 256$ symbols.
- **Shift Codes in Baudot:** Baudot uses two specific characters to switch between two modes (letters and figures), effectively doubling the number of symbols it can represent.
- **No Shift Codes in ASCII:** ASCII assigns a unique code to each character, so it doesn't need shift codes.

### Why the Other Choices are Incorrect:
- **Choice A:** Incorrect because Baudot uses 5 data bits, not 4.
- **Choice C:** Incorrect because Baudot uses 5 data bits, not 6, and it does use shift codes.
- **Choice D:** Incorrect because Baudot uses 5 data bits, not 7, and it does use shift codes.

### Summary:
- **Baudot:** 5 bits, uses shift codes.
- **ASCII:** 7 or 8 bits, no shift codes.

Understanding these differences is crucial for recognizing how different digital codes handle character representation and switching between character sets.