Storing Data
At the core of the computer is a microprocessor which is a programmable circuit board made up of millions of switches called transistors.
A transistor is like a switch that controls the flow of electricity. Switches can be on or off. We record the position of switches with ones and zeros:
- Zero is off
- One is on
Because there are only two states (0 and 1), we call this binary.
By recording what positions groups of gates are in we can store instructions or by recording the output more complicated pieces of information.
The smallest unit of memory is the Binary Digit or bit.
We can group eight bits together to come up with the standard block of bits called a byte.
You are probably more familiar with the term Gigabytes, as that is the unit used to measure the storage of your Smartphone or Computer.
All data must be converted to binary to be processed or stored by a computer.
Keywords
Binary
A term meaning that there are 2 possible states (e.g. OFF or ON).
Also refers to the Base 2 counting system.
Counts using to numerals (0 to 1).
Bit
A single binary digit
Byte
8 bits.