Editing Error detection and correction (section)

=== Cyclic redundancy check ===
{{Main|Cyclic redundancy check}}
A ''cyclic redundancy check'' (CRC) is a non-secure [[hash function]] designed to detect accidental changes to digital data in computer networks. It is not suitable for detecting maliciously introduced errors. It is characterized by specification of a ''generator polynomial'', which is used as the [[divisor]] in a [[polynomial long division]] over a [[finite field]], taking the input data as the [[dividend]]. The [[remainder]] becomes the result.

A CRC has properties that make it well suited for detecting [[burst error]]s. CRCs are particularly easy to implement in hardware and are therefore commonly used in [[computer network]]s and storage devices such as [[hard disk drives]].

The parity bit can be seen as a special-case 1-bit CRC.