Binary, Bits, & Bytes

• Computers speak in binary
• Bits: 0s and 1s
  • etym: “binary digits”
• Example: Counting past 0 (binary \to decimal)
  • 000 \to 0
  • 001 \to 1
  • 010 \to 2
  • 011 \to 3
  • 100 \to 4
  • 101 \to 5
  • etc.
• Most computers use 8 bits at a time.

Why Binary?

Physically, it’s easier to either store some electricity or not store some electricity in some switches or transistors, so binary bits are a natural solution

Example: Representing 123 in Binary & Decimal

In decimal form, representing 123 can be done by splitting it into the hundreds, tens, and one’s place; like this:

In binary, representing 123 can be done by splitting it into 2^n bits; like this: