A barcode is a sequence of black and white stripes that encrypts and reads information about a product. But it is naive to believe that knowledge of prefixes allows the buyer to become a guru of economic cryptography. A simple sequence of numbers is fraught with surprises.
Instructions
Step 1
Determine the type of code. They are linear (sequential reading of information) and two-dimensional (information is read vertically and horizontally). The most popular in stores are linear codes with a European coding system, they can be read by inexpensive scanners. The most popular EAN13 is thirteen digits. There is also a short code - EAN-8. But in this case, the first two digits indicate the country of origin. The two-dimensional code can be read using a special two-dimensional code scanner; it is impossible to calculate the country of origin with the naked eye.
Step 2
The list of codes is too long to memorize and should be cut out and kept. It is worth remembering that prefixes from 460 to 469 are assigned to Russia, but currently only 460 is used. There is a formula that allows you to verify the authenticity of a bar code. It is necessary to add the numbers in even places, multiply the sum by three. Then add the numbers in odd places (of course, without the last check digit). Add these two sums, discard tens. Subtract the resulting number from ten. You should get the number that is the last in the barcode.
Step 3
Globalization interferes with the economy, making the division into country of origin extremely arbitrary. The barcode number may not match the information on the product packaging, and both the product and the barcode may be genuine. If the packaging says "made in China", and the seller chirps about the incomparable American quality, you should not denounce him ahead of time, because the manufacturer may receive the code not at the place of its actual registration, but at the place of the country to which the main export flows are directed (for example, to Russia). The second point is the legal subtleties with licenses and ownership, especially with regard to clothing and gadgets. The product can be produced at a subsidiary anywhere in the world (more precisely, where labor is cheaper). Well, and the most elementary thing, representatives of different states can become the founders of a manufacturing company. Whoever has a thicker stake chooses the prefix in the barcode. So the figure is, in general, a fiction and abstraction, which is more important for economists and lawyers and to a lesser extent - for ordinary buyers.
