What is the purpose of an encoding scheme in computing?

The purpose of an encoding scheme in computing is to convert characters and symbols into a specific format that a computer can manipulate and store. This process is vital because computers operate using binary data, and encoding schemes allow human-readable characters, such as letters and numbers, to be translated into a format that is understandable by machines.

Different encoding schemes, such as ASCII or UTF-8, map characters to numerical values, which correspond to specific bytes in memory. For instance, the letter 'A' might be represented by the number 65 in ASCII. This translation is crucial for text processing in applications, ensuring that characters are consistently represented and displayed correctly across different systems and platforms.

The other options address different concepts related to computing: formatting output pertains to how data is presented to the user; encryption focuses on securing data from unauthorized access; and caching involves storing web pages temporarily to improve access speed. These concepts, while important in their own right, do not relate directly to the fundamental purpose of an encoding scheme.