A QUICK GUIDE TO BINARY
4 and 8 bit binary
The most basic form of binary is 4 bit. It looks like this:
| 8 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
------------------------ = 10 because 8 + 2 = 10
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
OR USING 8bit BINARY
| 128 | 64 | 32 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
------------------------------------------------ = 172 because 128 + 32 + 8 + 4= 172
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
When using binary '1' means on and '0' means off so on the 8bit binary if the number has a '1' (on) you use that number. If it is '0' (off) you do not use that number.
Adding binary together
When adding binary you can add it as you would a denary number like this:
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
---------------------------------------- = | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | OR 175
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Why do we have binary?
Computers process everything in binary. You can think of a computer processor as a bunch of miniature switches. They can be either on or they can be off. Most computers treat the switch being on as 1 and the switch being off as 0. When a switch is on, it puts an electrical current down a wire, when a switch is off it does not. The wires that are on at any given time are routed to various components in your computer causing them to perform a very small specific function. All of these wires turning on and off rapidly allow your computer to do all of the tasks that it does