Name ______________________________ Period __________ Date __________________

Identification Numbers and Check Digits

Universal Product codes (UPC)

Check Digit:

How is it found?

How to find missing numbers:

1.) Check to see which of the following UPC numbers are correct. Show your
work and explain your answer!
a. 0 16000 68290 0

b. 0 43000 10210 7

c. 0 43000 13611 0

2.) You are missing one digit of a UPC code represented by X. Replace X with a
number that will make a valid UPC code. Show your work.
a. 0 23100 1X435 4

Odd = 0 + 3 + 0 + 1 +4 + 5 = 13; Even = 2 + 1 + 0 + x + 3 + 4 = 10 + x

3(13) = 39
39 + 10 + x = 49 + x; x = 1
b. 5 54X00 10010 2
5 + 4 + 0 + 1 + 0 + 0 = 10; Even = 5 + x + 0 + 1 + 2 = 8 + x
10 + 8 + x = 18 + x; x=2
c. 7 23000 X4054 8

7 + 3 + 0 + x + 0 + 4 = 14 + x; Even = 2 + 0 + 0+ 4 + 5 + 8 = 19

3(14 + x) = 42 + 3x + 19

61 + 3x = 70

3x = 9; x=3

d. 3 81370 09213 X
odd = 3 + 1 + 7 + 0 + 2 + 3 = 16; even 8 + 3 + 0 + 9 + 1 + x = 21 + x

3(16) = 48; 48 + 21+ X = 69 + X = 70; x = 1

 3.) Does more than one number work in any of these four examples? Why?

No there is a single digit that makes the equation true

4.) Suppose you entered 8 instead of 9 when recording the UPC number
0 15521- 02149 6. Explain why the UPC method will detect this error.
If 8 is entered instead of 9 the result is 65, which is not a multiple of 10.

5.) What does this suggest about the UPC bar coding system’s ability to catch
single-digit errors? Appears that single digit error can be caught.

6.) You are checking a clerk who keeps making adjacent transposition errors
when entering bar codes. Find the errors and explain whether the UPC
system will detect them.
a. The clerk enters 0 41000 12611 0 instead of 0 14000 12611 0

yes catches this error, 34 is not a multiple of 10

b. The clerk enters 0 43000 15021 4 instead of 0 43000 10521 4

Does not catch this error because 30 is a multiple of 10

 c. The clerk enters 0 16000 51000 5 instead of 0 61000 51000 5

Does not catch this error since 40 is a multiple of 10

d. The clerk enters 0 72000 31401 2 instead of 0 27000 31401 2

Does not catch this error because 40 is a multiple of 10

e. The clerk enters 0 64000 93120 9 instead of 0 64000 39120 9

Will catch this error since 62 is not a multiple of 10

7.) Which adjacent transpositions does the UPC bar coding system appear to
catch?

8.) What percentage of adjacent transposition errors does the UPC bar coding
system catch?

9.) Reflection: What would happen if we used a different multiplier instead of

3? Would it catch more or less errors?