In
telecommunication, a
n-ary code is a
code that has
n significant conditions, where
n is a positive integer greater than 1. The integer substituted for
n indicates the specific number of significant conditions,
i.e.,
quantization states, in the code. For example, an 8-ary code has eight significant conditions and can convey three bits per code symbol. A prefix that indicates an integer,
e.g., "bin", "tern," or "quatern", may be used in lieu of a numeral, to produce "
binary",
"ternary", or
"quaternary" (2, 3, and 4 states respectively).