Hamming Distance Calculator
Calculate the Hamming distance between two strings, visualize differences, and analyze sequence similarity for binary data, DNA sequences, and text.
Sequence Input
Enter allowed characters for validation
Length: 0
Length: 0
Quick Examples:
Sequence Comparison
Distance Visualization
Hamming Distance Results
Hamming Distance:
Sequence Length:
Similarity (%):
Differences:
Detailed Analysis
Position Analysis:
Character Frequency:
Interpretation:
Position-by-Position Breakdown
| Position | Sequence 1 | Sequence 2 | Match |
|---|
Export & Summary
Summary:
About Hamming Distance
What is Hamming Distance?
The Hamming distance between two strings of equal length is the number of positions at which the corresponding symbols are different. It measures the minimum number of substitutions required to change one string into another, or the minimum number of errors that could have transformed one string into the other.
Applications
Error Detection
Used in telecommunications and data storage to detect and correct transmission errors.
Bioinformatics
Comparing DNA sequences, protein sequences, and measuring genetic similarity.
Cryptography
Analyzing cipher strength and measuring randomness in cryptographic systems.
Machine Learning
Feature comparison, similarity metrics, and clustering algorithms.
Quality Control
Comparing expected vs actual outputs in manufacturing and testing.
Image Processing
Comparing binary images and measuring pixel-level differences.
Key Properties
- Symmetry: d(x,y) = d(y,x)
- Non-negativity: d(x,y) ≥ 0
- Identity: d(x,x) = 0
- Triangle Inequality: d(x,z) ≤ d(x,y) + d(y,z)
- Range: 0 ≤ d(x,y) ≤ length of strings
How to Use This Calculator
- Select the appropriate data type for your sequences
- Enter two sequences of equal length
- Click "Calculate Hamming Distance" to analyze
- Review the visual comparison and detailed breakdown
- Examine position-by-position analysis
- Export results for documentation or further analysis
Example Calculations
Sequence 1: 1011101
Sequence 2: 1001001
Hamming Distance: 2 (positions 3 and 5 differ)
Sequence 1: ATCGATCG
Sequence 2: ATGGATGG
Hamming Distance: 3 (positions 3, 6, and 8 differ)
Sequence 1: "karolin"
Sequence 2: "kathrin"
Hamming Distance: 3 (positions 2, 5, and 6 differ)
Related Concepts
- Edit Distance (Levenshtein): Allows insertions and deletions, not just substitutions
- Jaccard Distance: Measures dissimilarity between sets
- Cosine Distance: Measures angle between vectors in high-dimensional space
- Manhattan Distance: Sum of absolute differences between coordinates
- Euclidean Distance: Straight-line distance in multidimensional space