Computer Science · Hardware & Systems

Binary: The Language of Computers

Deep inside every computer, photos, songs, games, and texts are all made of just two numbers: 0 and 1.
💡A Bit Is Like a Switch
OFF 0 ON 1
🔌 One switch = one bit
Switch OFF means the bit is a 0
Switch ON means the bit is a 1
Stack enough switches and you can store anything!
🔤8 Bits Make 1 Byte
← 8 bits grouped together = 1 byte → 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 byte = the letter “A”
The computer reads 01000001 and shows you the letter A. One byte is enough for a single letter, number, or symbol!
🔘 1 Bita single 0 or 1
🔡 1 Byte8 bits = 1 character
📄 1 KB≈ 1,000 bytes — a text file
🎵 1 MB≈ 1 million bytes — a song
🎨Pixels & Color Are Binary Too
1 pixel R = 1 byte G = 1 byte B = 1 byte
🖼️ Every dot has a color recipe
A pixel is the smallest dot of color on a screen
Each pixel mixes a Red, Green, and Blue value — each one a byte
One photo can hold millions of bytes (megabytes!)
🔑Key Terms
🔢Binary A number system that uses only 0 and 1 — the language of computers.
🔘Bit The smallest unit of digital data — a single 0 or 1.
🔡Byte 8 bits grouped together — enough for one character.
🟪Pixel The smallest single dot of color on a screen.
🔟Decimal Our normal number system — uses 0 through 9 (base 10).
🔁Encoding Turning information into binary so a computer can store it.
Remember: computers only understand 0s and 1s — but they read billions of them every second, which is why they seem so smart!
✏️ Computer Science Anchor Chart · Binary: The Language of Computers
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