Question

The user “JiaT75” inserted a backdoor in a tool for this task that was caught by Microsoft developer Andres Freund in March 2024. Kolmogorov complexity can be conceptualized as measuring an optimal form of this process. (10[1])Inputs (10[1])for this task can be preprocessed by the Burrows–Wheeler transform, which arranges “similar” characters together. One algorithm for this task uses symbol frequencies to construct a prefix tree. A family of algorithms for this task is named for Abraham Lempel and (10[1])Jacob Ziv. Shannon’s source coding theorem bounds the efficiency of this process. Huffman codes can be used to perform a “lossless” form of this task. For 10 points, name this process that decreases the number of bits needed to store information, which can create .zip files. ■END■

ANSWER: data compression [or word forms; accept lossless data compression or lossy data compression; accept data decompression or word forms; accept LZ compression or LZW compression or Huffman compression; prompt on Huffman coding or encoding or word forms until “source coding” is read] (The first line refers to the XZ Utils backdoor.)
<Other Science>
= Average correct buzz position

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Buzzes

PlayerTeamOpponentBuzz PositionValue
Abby SmithBerkeley CStanford M3510
Swapnil GargBerkeley ABerkeley B3610
Katherine LeiStanford LStanford A7710