On the Efficiency of the Shortened Error Correcting Codes

Shortening is a widely used technique aiming mainly to reduce the block size of an error correcting code and at the same time to enhance its efficiency. However, due to a common misapprehension, students tend to believe that maximum shortening retains maximum coding efficiency. In this work, an educational approach is presented which eliminates the aforementioned misapprehension. Specifically, the efficiency of the shortened error correcting codes is examined both theoretically and experimentally via simulations.