Which statement about MP3 is true?

Which statement about MP3 is true?

• A. It is a lossless format.
• B. It is a compressed format that reduces data, but lowers quality.
• C. It cannot be played on most devices.
• D. It preserves high fidelity.

Answer: (B)

MP3 uses lossy compression. It trims away parts of the audio data that are less noticeable to most listeners, based on psychoacoustic models, to shrink file size. Because some information is removed, the reproduced sound isn’t identical to the original and fidelity isn’t fully preserved. At higher bitrates the result can be very close, but it’s still not lossless. MP3 is widely supported on devices and software, so it can be played almost anywhere.

MP3 uses lossy compression. It trims away parts of the audio data that are less noticeable to most listeners, based on psychoacoustic models, to shrink file size. Because some information is removed, the reproduced sound isn’t identical to the original and fidelity isn’t fully preserved. At higher bitrates the result can be very close, but it’s still not lossless. MP3 is widely supported on devices and software, so it can be played almost anywhere.