Why Do Computers Use 1s and 0s? Binary and Transistors Explained.

Understanding Binary Counting00:00:25

An explanation of how binary serves as a positional counting system using base-2, where each digit represents a power of two, offering more efficiency than tally marks.

The Role of Transistors00:02:28

Computers rely on microscopic transistors that act as switches (on/off). By mapping 'on' to 1 and 'off' to 0, these switches allow computers to process data using binary.

ASCII and Data Representation00:03:40

ASCII is introduced as the standard that translates numerical binary data (represented by bytes) into human-readable characters like letters and punctuation.

Evolution of Bit Systems00:05:15

The transition from 8-bit to 16-bit systems allowed computers to reference more transistors simultaneously, exponentially increasing the range of representable numbers.