Finite fields are used by many error correction codes, such as Reed–Solomon error correction code or BCH code. The finite field almost always has characteristic of , since computer data is stored in binary. For example, a byte of data can be interpreted as an element of . One exception is PDF417 bar code, which is . Some CPUs have special instructions that can be useful for finite fields of characteristic , generally variations of carry-less product.
Finite fields are used by many error correction codes, such as Reed–Solomon error correction code or BCH code. The finite field almost always has characteristic of , since computer data is stored in binary. For example, a byte of data can be interpreted as an element of . One exception is PDF417 bar code, which is  Some CPUs have special instructions that can be useful for finite fields of characteristic , generally variations of carry-less product.