How Computers Talk (Digital Data)
Have you ever wondered how a computer remembers your favorite picture or the high score in your game? It doesn’t use words or colors like we do. Instead, computers use something much simpler: Numbers!
The Language of On and Off
Inside a computer, everything is made of tiny electronic switches. These switches can only be in two states:
- ON (Represented by the number 1)
- OFF (Represented by the number 0)
This “1 and 0” language is called Binary.
Bits and Bytes
- Bit: A single 1 or 0 is called a “bit.” It is the smallest piece of information a computer can understand.
- Byte: When you put 8 bits together in a row, it’s called a “byte.”
Think of it like LEGO bricks. One tiny bit is like a single stud. When you snap 8 of them together, you have a bigger brick (a byte) that can start to represent something useful, like a letter of the alphabet or a color.
Everything is a Number
Even though computers only see 1s and 0s, they can combine them to represent everything else:
- Letters: The letter ‘A’ might be represented by a specific code of 1s and 0s.
- Colors: A bright red color is just another code.
- Pictures: A photo is just thousands of tiny dots (pixels), and each dot has its own binary code for its color.
So, when you type a message or draw a picture, the software translates your work into millions of 1s and 0s so the hardware can store it!
Questions
- What are the two numbers used in the “Binary” language?
- How many “bits” are in one “byte”?
- If a computer only understands 0 and 1, how can it show us a colorful picture?