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Two symbols can represent a whole world
Binary represents numbers using digits 0 and 1.
The idea
Each position has a power-of-two value. Agreed encodings let patterns of bits represent text, images and other data.
An example
Binary 101 means 4 + 0 + 1, so it represents decimal 5.
Put it into practice
Distinguish the bit pattern from the encoding used to interpret it.
Further reading: Harvard · CS50 ↗
Test yourself: What decimal number does binary 101 represent?
5
Its positions represent four, two and one; 1×4 + 0×2 + 1×1 = 5.
Explanation and illustrative examples by One Card Wiser. Source linked for further reading.
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