What does a character set do?

A character set is a standardized collection of characters that can be used to represent text in a computing environment. It defines how letters, numbers, punctuation marks, and other symbols are represented in binary form, which is the language computers understand.

By mapping each character to a unique binary value, a character set enables computers to communicate and process text data efficiently. For instance, in the ASCII character set, the letter 'A' is represented by the binary value 01000001, while the character '1' is represented as 00110001. This mapping is crucial for text encoding, file storage, and data exchange, as it ensures that text appears the same way across different systems.

The other choices refer to different processes or concepts that do not pertain to the primary function of a character set. For example, compressing files for storage relates to reducing file size, securing data involves encryption methods, and organizing data into folders addresses file management, none of which involve mapping characters to binary representations.