CRCn

CRCn is an acronym commonly encountered in discussions of data integrity and error detection. In technical contexts, it is often read as CRC-n, a family of cyclic redundancy check codes with an n-bit width. CRCs are used to detect accidental data corruption in digital networks and storage systems. The computation treats the input data as a binary polynomial and divides it by a fixed generator polynomial of degree n; the remainder, the CRC, is appended to the message. On receipt, the combined data are processed by the same polynomial division; any nonzero remainder indicates corruption.

The parameter n affects the length of the check value and the strength of error detection. Wide practice uses standard widths such as 8, 16, or 32 bits. Specific CRC variants are defined by the generator polynomial, initial value, bit order, reflection, and final XOR value. Examples: CRC-32 is widely used in Ethernet, ZIP archives, and many file formats; CRC-16 family includes several polynomials used in protocols and storage devices.

CRCn can also appear as an acronym in non-cryptographic contexts for other terms created in various domains, such as organizations, projects, or product names. In those cases, the exact meaning depends on the field and document; disambiguation is required.