Disable ads (and more) with a premium pass for a one time $4.99 payment
The primary function of a Bar Code is to represent characters by parallel bars. Barcodes are encoding systems that use a combination of thick and thin bars, along with spaces, to represent data. This visual representation can be quickly scanned and interpreted by barcode readers, facilitating the retrieval of information associated with a product or item stored in a database.
This method of encoding not only makes it efficient to identify products but also allows for the automated processing of information at various points in a supply chain, such as retail checkouts, inventory management, and logistics. Each unique pattern corresponds to an alphanumeric character, enabling a wide variety of information, such as product numbers, prices, and, in some cases, batch data.
Other options describe functionalities that are not core to the purpose of a barcode. For instance, while some barcodes can store certain types of data, they do not typically store extensive personal information, track individual bank transactions, or inherently process payments electronically as standalone functions. These capacities may involve additional systems and technologies beyond what the simple barcode itself is designed to accomplish.