So, you know how we count with numbers like 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on? Well, computers use a different way of counting that's called "binary". Instead of using the numbers we're used to, computers only use two numbers: 0 and 1. So instead of counting 1, 2, 3, 4, computers count 0, 1, 10, 11, 100, 101, and so on. Each 0 or 1 in a number like "101" is called a "binary digit," or a "bit" for short.
"Bit" is short for "binary digit"
So with binary, computers can use two states, off or on, represented by 0 or 1, to perform different operations. And by using many combination of those on or off states, computers can represent numbers and perform calculations on them.
For example, computer might use 8 binary digits, or "bits", to represent a number. This is also known as byte. And 1 byte can be used to represent any number between 0 and 255.
It's kind of like using different coloured blocks to build different numbers, with only two colours of blocks to choose from: blue and yellow.
Let's say you want to write the number "3" in binary. In binary, you can only use the digits 0 and 1. To write the number 3 in binary, you'll need two digits: "11".
Another example is number "5". To write "5" in binary we will use "101" . And with 8 digits binary can represent number as large as 255.
Here's a chart to help you understand the binary number system:
| Binary | Decimal |
|---|---|
| 00 | 0 |
| 01 | 1 |
| 10 | 2 |
| 11 | 3 |
| 100 | 4 |
| 101 | 5 |
| 110 | 6 |
| 111 | 7 |
| 1000 | 8 |
So, in summary computers use binary because it's a very simple and efficient way for electronic devices to represent and process information. It allows the computer to represent any quantity, such as a number or a letter, as a series of on/off states, represented by 0's and 1's.
Now whenever someone asks you about why computers are all about 1s and 0s, you can explain why!
