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What is the difference of binary and decimal numbers?
-- The decimal system (base-10) uses 10 digits to write all numbers. -- The binary system (base-2) uses 2 digits to write all numbers.
What is equal to binary digits?
Binary digits are 'bits'. There are only two of them. It doesn't matter what you call your digits or how you write them, as long as you do all of your binary arithmetic with only two symbols.
How does BCD differ from the straight binary number system?
To consider the difference between straight binary and BCD, the binary numbers need to be split up into 4 binary digits (bits) starting from the units. In 4 bits there are 16 possible values from 0000 to 1111 (0 to 15). In straight binary all of these possible combinations are used, thus: 4 bits can represent the decimal numbers 0-15 8 bits can represent the decimal numbers 0-255 12 bits can represent the decimal numbers 0-4095 16 bits can represent the decimal numbers 0-65535 etc In arithmetic, all combinations of bits are used, thus: 0000 1001 + 0001 = 0000 1010 In BCD or Binary Coded Decimal, only the representations of the decimal numbers 0-9 are used (that is 0000 to 1001 in binary), and the 4-bits (nybbles) are read as decimal digits, thus: 4 bits can represent the decimal digits 0-9 8 bits can represent the decimal digits 0-99 12 bits can represent the decimal digits 0-999 16 bits can represent the decimal digits 0-9999 In arithmetic, only the representations of decimal numbers are used, thus: 0000 1001 + 0001 = 0001 0000 When BCD is used each half of a byte is read directly as a decimal digit. BCD is obviously inefficient as storage (for large numbers) as each nybble is only holding 3/8 of the possible numbers, however, it is sometimes easier and quicker to work with decimal digits (for example when there is lots of display of counting numbers to do there is less binary to decimal conversion needing to be done).
Computers represent numeric data using the number system?
Nearly all computer math is based on variants of binary numbering. Printouts of computer memory data will combine the binary numbers into four bit groups called hexadecimal digits.
Why do digital computer use binary number system?
Binary numbers have only 2 digits, 0 and 1. Binary came from a need to represent information based in magnetics that only offer an "on" or "off" state. Decimal numbers have 10 digits, 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9. Decimal numbers came about from humans having 10 fingers to count with. Once they reach 10, they start reusing fingers (digits). When humans count to 3, they count to their 3rd digit. Here's how to count to 3 in binary, which only has 2 digits: 01,10,11 Here's counting to 7 in decimal: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 Here's counting to 7 in binary: 001,010,011,100,101,110,111 All of the mathematics done in decimal can be done in binary. No matter how fancy computers get, the bottom line is they have to store and manipulate information at a physical level, something physical must store all of that information. In computers, that physical storage is magnetic. All information is stored and manipulated at the lowest level as a combination of large binary values, large combinations of "on" and "off". Scientists are inventing new ways to store information in computers, so perhaps in time computer storage won't be limited to binary values.
