Activity Overview
During the episode "In Plain Sight," Larry scratches a CD with a paper clip. He tells Don "If I scratched a record, it would be ruined, but this CD will still play. I've created gaps in the readable data." If data has been destroyed, how can the CD still be played? Charlie explains: "[With] Reed-Solomon Error Correcting Code, the software fills in the gaps, making an educated guess about what it should be resulting in complete images from partial data."
Before the Activity
Download the attached PDF and look over the Teacher Page.
During the Activity
Discuss the materials from the Student Page with your class.
After the Activity
Encourage students to explore web sites and questions from the Extensions page.