Binary Number System

The binary number system is a base-2 numeral system that consists of only two digits: 0 and 1. It

is the fundamental language of computers, as all data and instructions processed by digital systems

are represented in binary form.

Why Do Computers Use Binary?

1. Electronic Circuitry Efficiency

 Computers operate using millions of tiny electronic switches called transistors.

 These transistors have only two states: ON (1) and OFF (0).

 Since binary aligns perfectly with this two-state system, it simplifies hardware

design and operation.

2. Reliability and Noise Resistance

 Digital circuits using binary are less affected by electrical noise compared to

systems using multiple voltage levels.

 A signal is either fully ON (1) or OFF (0), making it more stable and less prone to

errors.

3. Storage and Processing Simplicity

 Binary enables efficient data storage in memory, hard drives, and other digital

media.

 Arithmetic and logical operations are easier to implement using binary-based

circuits, reducing complexity.

4. Universality in Computing

 Every modern computing system, from microcontrollers to supercomputers, is

designed to process data in binary.

on binary operations.

5. Scalability and Compatibility

 Binary data can be easily scaled for different computing architectures.

 It allows seamless communication between different hardware and software

systems, ensuring compatibility across devices.

In summary, computers use the binary number system because it is the most efficient, reliable, and

practical way to store, process, and transmit information using electronic circuits.

Binary in Real Life

 Computers store everything in binary (text, images, videos, etc.).

 IP addresses, passwords, and data encryption use binary.

 Logic gates and processors work with binary signals.

Understanding binary helps in computer programming, networking, and cybersecurity!

Converting Decimal to Binary

To convert a decimal number (base-10) to binary (base-2), follow these steps:

 Divide the number by 2 and record the quotient and remainder.

 Keep dividing until the quotient becomes 0.

 Read the remainders from bottom to top to get the binary equivalent.

General Rule for Binary Bit Length:

0 to 15 → fits in 4 bits (e.g., months like 01 to 12 use 4 bits: 0001 to 1100)

16 to 255 → fits in 8 bits

256 to 1023 → fits in 10 bits

1024 to 2047 → fits in 11 bits (which is why 1995 needs 11 bits)

In the binary number system (base-2), each digit (bit) represents a power of 2. The more bits used,

the larger the range of numbers that can be represented.

The number of bits required to represent a value depends on the maximum number in that range.

The formula to determine the number of bits needed is:

2n ≥ Maximum Number

where n is the number of bits.

EXAMPLE

Find the decimal range of 0-15

The decimal range 0 to 15 has 16 numbers in total.

We need to find the smallest n such that:

2𝑛 ≥ 16

21 = 2 (Not enough)

22 = 4 (Not enough)

23 = 8 (Not enough)

24 =16 (Just right)

Since

24 = 16 covers the range 0 to 15, we need 4 bits.

Step-by-Step Conversion of 12/01/1995 to Binary (0s and 1s)

We need to convert 12 (day), 01 (month), and 1995 (year) from decimal (base 10) to binary (base

2).

Step 1: Convert 12 (Day) to Binary

To convert 12 to binary, divide by 2 and record the remainders:

Division by 2 Quotient Remainder (Binary Digit)

12 ÷ 2 6 0

6÷2 3 0

3÷2 1 1

1÷2 0 1

Binary for 12 = 1100

Step 2: Convert 01 (Month) to Binary

We divide 1 by 2 and keep track of the remainder:

Division by 2 Quotient Remainder(Binary Digit)

1÷2 0 1

Since the quotient is now 0, we stop. Reading from bottom to top, the binary representation of 1

is:

1 in binary = 1
NOTE

Why Did We Write It as 0001 Instead of Just 1?

In computing, binary numbers are often written in fixed-length formats for consistency. Since we

are working with dates (like months), it's common to use at least 4 bits to represent numbers

(especially when months range from 01 to 12).

To ensure the month 01 looks uniform with other numbers, we use four binary digits (bits) by

adding leading zeros:

1 → 0001 (4-bit format)

Step 3: Convert 1995 (Year) to Binary

We divide 1995 by 2 and record the remainders:

Division by 2 Quotient Remainder (Binary Digit)

1995 ÷ 2 997 1

997 ÷ 2 498 1

498 ÷ 2 249 0

249 ÷ 2 124 1

124 ÷ 2 62 0

62 ÷ 2 31 0

31 ÷ 2 15 1

15 ÷ 2 7 1

7÷2 3 1

3÷2 1 1

1÷2 0 1

Now, read the remainders from bottom to top:

Final Binary Representation of 12/01/1995

Now, we put everything together:

12 = 1100

01 = 0001

1995 = 11111001011

Final Answer:

12/01/1995 → 1100 / 0001 / 11111001011

EXAMPLE 2

To convert a word like "Joseph" into binary, we follow these steps:

Step 1: Find the ASCII Code for Each Letter

Computers store text as numbers using the ASCII (American Standard Code for Information

Interchange) system. Each letter corresponds to a decimal number.

Letter ASCII (Decimal) Binary (8-bit)

J 74 01001010

o 111 01101111

s 115 01110011

e 101 01100101

p 112 01110000

h 104 01101000
Step 2: Write the Binary Code for Each Letter

Now, we write out the binary representation of each letter:

J → 01001010

o → 01101111

s → 01110011

e → 01100101

p → 01110000

h → 01101000

Final Binary Representation of "Joseph"

So, the name "Joseph" in binary is:

01001010 01101111 01110011 01100101 01110000 01101000

ASCII Table (Common Characters)

Each letter takes 8 bits (1 byte) in the ASCII system.

Character ASCII(Decimal) Binary

A 65 01000001

B 66 01000010

C 67 01000011

D 68 01000100

E 69 01000101

F 70 01000110

G 71 01000111

H 72 01001000

I 73 01001001
J 74 01001010

K 75 01001011

L 76 01001100

M 77 01001101

N 78 01001110

O 79 01001111

P 80 01010000

Q 81 01010001

R 82 01010010

S 83 01010011

T 84 01010100

U 85 01010101

V 86 01010110

W 87 01010111

X 88 01011000

Y 89 01011001

Z 90 01011010

a 97 01100001

b 98 01100010

c 99 01100011

d 100 01100100

e 101 01100101

f 102 01100110

g 103 01100111

h 104 01101000
i 105 01101001

j 106 01101010

k 107 01101011

l 108 01101100

m 109 01101101

n 110 01101110

o 111 01101111

p 112 01110000

q 113 01110001

r 114 01110010

s 115 01110011

t 116 01110100

u 117 01110101

v 118 01110110

w 119 01110111

x 120 01111000

y 121 01111001

z 122 01111010

0 48 00110000

1 49 00110001

2 50 00110010

3 51 00110011

4 52 00110100

5 53 00110101

6 54 00110110
7 55 00110111

8 56 00111000

9 57 00111001

Space 32 00100000

! 33 00100001

" 34 00100010

# 35 00100011

$ 36 00100100

% 37 00100101

& 38 00100110

' 39 00100111

( 40 00101000

) 41 00101001