What is a character set?

A character set refers to the complete collection of symbols, which includes letters, numbers, punctuation marks, and other special characters that a computer can represent and manipulate. Each symbol in the character set is assigned a unique code, allowing computers to store, process, and display text based on this standardized coding system.

For instance, the ASCII character set represents characters using numbers from 0 to 127, covering basic English letters and control characters, while Unicode expands this concept to include a vast range of characters from different languages and symbol systems worldwide, thus making it more versatile for global use.

Recognizing the correct answer as the set of symbols allows for an understanding of how computers handle text data, which is foundational for programming, data storage, and communication in computing systems.