Information Representation in a Computer

All the data in a computer, such as numbers, text, and images, is stored in binary. Binary is a number system. It has two digits: one and zero.

A binary digit is called a bit.

We will now explain how a computer stores different forms of data in binary.

Representing numbers in binary

A bit can have two values: zero or one. A bit is said to be on if it has a value of one, and it is said to be off if it has a value of zero. To represent a number greater than one, you can use a collection of bits.

In the illustration below, notice that each number is twice the number to its right.