Binary code
Binary code writes everything with two digits, 0 and 1. Try it below, then read how it works.
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What binary code is
Binary is a number system with two digits. Computers use it because a circuit is either off (0) or on (1). Each digit is a bit, and 8 bits make a byte.
Three things binary can store
- Numbers: 13 is
1101. Try the decimal to binary converter. - Text: each letter is one byte, so Hi is
01001000 01101001. See the binary alphabet. - Dates: June 15, 1990 is
011111000110 0110 01111(year, month, day). Find your birthday in binary.
Questions
Who invented binary code?
Gottfried Leibniz described the modern binary system in 1703. Claude Shannon showed in 1937 that circuits could use it for logic.
Is binary the same as machine code?
Machine code is stored in binary, but binary itself is just a way of writing numbers.