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Introduction To Binary

Binary numbers are strings of ones and zeroes, and are difficult to remember. Computers want numbers that they can hold easily in an electronic form. Binary numbers are not very useful for people, But computers are good at remembering long numbers.

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Martin John
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523 views

Introduction To Binary

Binary numbers are strings of ones and zeroes, and are difficult to remember. Computers want numbers that they can hold easily in an electronic form. Binary numbers are not very useful for people, But computers are good at remembering long numbers.

Uploaded by

Martin John
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Introduction to Binary http://gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/numbers/binary/intro.

htm

10001001 Introduction to Binary


10010001
Binary numbers --- Introduction --- Addition --- Multiplication --- Counter --- Card game

When we count using decimal or base 10, our normal counting system, we count up
to nine using a different symbol each time: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Then for ten, we
use two digits: 10. Beyond that, we combine the same ten symbols in various ways to
give all possible numbers. This is called a positional system. So 3528 means three
thousand, five hundred and twenty eight, or 3000 + 500 + 20 + 8. But you can count
using less digits than this. You must have a zero. But you're not going to get
anywhere with just zero! So you need a digit for one as well. This is called binary or
base 2.

Enter a number in either box, and click on the button. Remember that binary numbers
must only have ones and zeroes.

Decimal number: Binary number:

Number Decimal Binary Comments

zero 0 0 Binary same as decimal

one 1 1 Binary same as decimal

two 2 10 Binary has run out of symbols, so needs two

three 3 11 10 (2) + 1

four 4 100 Binary run out of symbols again, three needed

five 5 101 100 (4) + 1 (no 10's)

six 6 110 100 (4) + 10 (2) (no 1's)

seven 7 111 100 (4) + 10 (2) + 1

eight 8 1000 Binary run out of symbols again, four needed

As you can see, binary numbers are usually longer than decimal
numbers, and get even longer the bigger they get. You need twenty
binary digits for a million. Also, the numbers are quite difficult to
understand or remember, as they are strings of ones and zeros. This

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Introduction to Binary http://gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/numbers/binary/intro.htm

means that binary is not very useful for people. However, computers are
good at remembering long numbers, and understand numbers whatever
format they are in. Computers want numbers that they can hold easily in
an electronic form, and where arithmetic is easy. In a computer, one
means that an electrical current is flowing, and zero means that it is switched off. If
you look at your TV, you may see that the on/off switch is marked 1 and 0. There are
lots of ways that one is done in a computer - it gets tricky when you want to store
numbers permanently, even when the computer is switched off. But this is essentially
what all the numbers in a computer are.
© Jo Edkins 2006 - Return to Numbers index

2 of 2 5/8/2011 1:42 PM

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