Computer Language and Binary System
Computer - device that stores and processes data by performing calculations
- compares 1s and 0s billions of times per second
Binary System - communication that a computer uses AKA a base-2 numeral system
- only talks in 1s and 0s
- we group binary into 8 numbers or bits (binary digits)
- 8 bits = 1 byte
- each byte can store 1 character, and we can have 256 possible values thanks to the base-2 system
Character Encoding - assigns our binary values to characters, so that we as humans can read them
- ASCII - oldest standard, represents the English alphabet, digits and punctuation marks
- UTF-8 - most prevalent standard today, allows us to use a variable number of bytes
Converting Binary to Decimal Values:
| 128 | 64 | 32 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 1 | Decimal Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Off or On |
| The decimal value = 10, because 8+2 are on and = 10 |
| 128 | 64 | 32 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 1 | Decimal Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Off or On |
| The decimal value = 157, because 128 + 16 + 8 + 4 + 1 = 157 |
Converting from Decimal to Binary Values:
| 128 | 64 | 32 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 1 | Decimal Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Off or On |
| The sum of 64 + 16 + 4 + 2 + 1 is 87, so the binary value that represents 87 is 01010111. |
Key takeaways
Computers communicate using binary, so it is important for IT support specialists to understand how binary works and to be able to convert binary values into both decimal values and characters. You can use a binary conversion table to help you convert between decimal and binary values. You can use an ASCII or UTF-8 table to convert from binary or decimal values into characters.