Binary Number System
Learn about the binary number system in this lesson.
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Overview
The decimal number system, which is used in daily life, consists of ten numerals: 0123456789. In contrast, the binary number system used by computer hardware consists of two numerals: 0 and 1. This is a direct consequence of a bit consisting of two values. If bits had three values, then the computers would use a number system based on three numerals.
The digits of the decimal system are named incrementally as ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, etc. For example, the number 1023 can be expanded in the following way:
1023 == 1 count of thousand, no hundred, 2 counts of ten, and 3 counts of one
Naturally, moving one digit to the left multiplies the value of that digit by 10: 1, 10, 100, 1000, etc.
When the same rules are applied to a system that has two numerals, we arrive at the binary number system. ...