IT Binary System
IT Binary System
IT Binary System
The binary number system invented by Gottfried Leibnizthat is simple, yet effective method of
representing data to computers. Using a numeric code, it enables computers to understand and interpret all data
as simple number combinations. The binary number system is a base 2 number system, meaning that it relies on
only two numbers: 0 and 1. This number system is the basis for all binary code, which is used to write data such
as the instructions that computer processors use, or the digital text you read every day.
The 0s and 1s in binary are used to represent OFF or ON respectively, that is, the turn off or turn on of
an electrical signal or base2 exponent. We know you may be a bit confused, but this concept is further
explained in our section on how to read binary numbers.
Binary is still the primary language for computers for the following reasons: It is a simple and elegant
design, Binary's 0 and 1 method is quick to detect an electrical signal's off or on state, the positive and negative
poles of magnetic media are quickly translated into binary and Binary is the most efficient way to control logic
circuits.
The following chart illustrates the binary number 01101000. Each column represents the number two
raised to an exponent, with that exponent's value increasing by one as you move through each of the eight
positions. In this example, we get the total value by reading the chart from right to left and adding each
column's value to that of the previous column: (8+32+64) = 104. As you can see, we do not count the bits with a
0 because they're "turned off."
Exponen 27 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
6 5 4 3 2 1 0
t:
Value: 1 6 3 1 8 4 2 1
28 4 2 6
ON/OFF 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0
:
mal Calculation A byte contains eight bits, which means it can have 256 (28) different
0 0 n/a values. These values may be used to represent different characters in a
1 1 20
2 10 21 text document, the RGB values of a pixel within an image file, or many
3 11 21 + 20 other types of data.
4 100 22
22+ 20
5 101 Large files may contain several thousand bytes (or
6 110 22 + 21
7 111 22 + 21 + 20 several megabytes) of binary data. A large application may take up
3
8 1000 2 thousands of megabytes of data. No matter how big a file or program is, at
9 1001 23 + 20
10 1010 23 + 21 its most basic level, it is simply a collection of binary digits that can be
6
64 1000000 2 read by a computer processor.
256 100000000 28
1024 10000000000 210 NOTE: The term "binary" may also be used to describe
a compiled software program. Once a program has been compiled, it
contains binary data called "machine code" that can be executed by a computer's CPU. In this case, "binary" is
used in contrast to the text-based source code files that were used to build the application.
Octal Numeral System - Base-8; Octal numbers uses digits from 0..7.
308 = 3×81+0×80 = 24
Decimal Numeral System - Base-10; Decimal numbers uses digits from 0..9. These are the regular numbers
that we use.
Example:253810 = 2×103+5×102+3×101+8×100
Hexadecimal Numeral System - Base-16; Hex numbers uses digits from 0..9 and A..F. H denotes hex prefix.