2.4 COMPUTATIONAL LOGIC

2.4 COMPUTATIONAL LOGIC

1. Why is data represented in binary form?

   • Computers systems store and process data as binary digits (1s and 0s)
   • The bits in a binary number represent the flow of electricity through individual wires and switches within the components of a computer system
   • underneath the surface, computers are electrical devices that process information by controlling the flow of electricity through billions of wires and switches (called transistors) inside the CPU, memory chips and between components
   • The flow of electricity down a single cable or through a switch can be represented in binary as a 1, whereas a cable or switch without electricity flowing through it can be represented as a 0
   • an 8-bit binary number such as 01101101 represents the flow of electricity through a group of 8 wires or, if the data is stored in memory, the state of 8 individual transistors.