📘 Chapter 2: Number System
🔹 Bit 1: Binary & Signed Binary
🔢 Binary Number System
What it is:
Binary is a number system that uses only two digits: 0 and 1.
It’s the language of computers—everything inside a computer is stored and processed in
binary.
Key Points:
Base: 2 (because it has 2 digits)
Each digit is called a bit (short for binary digit).
Binary numbers grow like this:
0, 1, 10, 11, 100, 101, 110, 111, 1000...
(Just like decimal grows: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4...)
Example:
Decimal 5 → Binary 101
Decimal 10 → Binary 1010
Why it matters:
All digital devices (computers, calculators, etc.) use binary to store and process data.
➕➖ Signed Binary Numbers
What it is:
Signed binary numbers represent positive and negative values in binary.
Since binary only has 0 and 1, we need a way to show sign (like + or -).
Common Methods:
1. Sign-Magnitude
o First bit = sign (0 for +, 1 for -)
o Remaining bits = magnitude (value)
o Example:
+5 → 0101
-5 → 1101
2. 1’s Complement
o Flip all bits of the positive number to get the negative.
o Example:
+5 → 0101
-5 → 1010 (flip each bit)
3. 2’s Complement (most commonly used)
o Flip all bits and add 1 to the result.
o Example:
+5 → 0101
-5 → 1011 (flip → 1010, then add 1)
Why it matters:
Computers need to handle both positive and negative numbers—signed binary makes that
possible.
🔹 Bit 2: Octal & Hexadecimal Numbers
🟠 Octal Number System
What it is:
Octal uses 8 digits: 0 to 7.
It’s a shortcut for binary—each octal digit represents 3 binary bits.
Base: 8
Digits used: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Why it’s useful:
Easier to read and write long binary numbers.
Used in older computer systems and programming (like UNIX file permissions).
Conversion Example:
Binary 101011 → Group into 3 bits: 101 011
→ Octal: 5 3 → 53₈
Octal 45₈ → Binary:
4 → 100
5 → 101
→ Binary: 100101
🟣 Hexadecimal Number System
What it is:
Hexadecimal uses 16 digits: 0–9 and A–F
(A=10, B=11, ..., F=15)
Each hex digit represents 4 binary bits.
Base: 16
Digits used: 0–9, A–F
Why it’s useful:
Very compact way to represent binary.
Widely used in programming, memory addresses, and color codes (like #FF5733).
Conversion Example:
Binary 11010111 → Group into 4 bits: 1101 0111
→ Hex: D7₁₆
Hex 2F₁₆ → Binary:
2 → 0010
F → 1111
→ Binary: 00101111
🧠 Quick Tip to Remember:
System Base Digits Used Binary Grouping
Binary 2 0, 1 —
Octal 8 0–7 3 bits per digit
Hexadecimal 16 0–9, A–F 4 bits per digit
🔹 Bit 3: Binary Arithmetic
➕ Binary Addition
Rules (just 4 simple ones):
0+0=0
0+1=1
1+0=1
1 + 1 = 10 (which means 0 and carry 1)
Example:
1011
+ 1101
------
11000
➖ Binary Subtraction
Rules:
0−0=0
1−0=1
1−1=0
0 − 1 = 1 (borrow 1 from left)
Example:
1010
− 0011
------
0111
✖️Binary Multiplication
Rules (same as decimal, but simpler):
0×0=0
0×1=0
1×0=0
1×1=1
Example:
101
× 11
------
101 (101 × 1)
+1010 (101 × 1, shifted one place)
------
1111
➗ Binary Division
Just like long division in decimal, but with binary.
Example:
1010 ÷ 10 = 101
(Decimal: 10 ÷ 2 = 5)
🧠 Quick Tip:
Binary arithmetic is used in:
CPU operations
Logic circuits
Programming (bitwise operations)
🔹 Bit 4: One’s and Two’s Complement Arithmetic
🧮 What Are Complements?
Complements are ways to represent negative binary numbers so that computers can do subtraction
using addition. Sounds strange? It’s actually brilliant!
🔸 One’s Complement
How to find it:
Flip every bit of the binary number:
0 → 1, 1 → 0
Example:
Binary of +5 (4-bit): 0101
One’s complement of -5: 1010
Arithmetic Rule:
To subtract B from A, do:
A + (One’s complement of B)
If there’s a carry, add it back to the result.
Example:
A = 6 → 0110
B = 3 → 0011
One’s complement of B = 1100
Add: 0110 + 1100 = 10010
Drop extra bit → 0010
Add carry (1): 0010 + 1 = 0011 → Result = 3
🔹 Two’s Complement
How to find it:
1. Take the One’s complement
2. Add 1 to it
Example:
Binary of +5 (4-bit): 0101
One’s complement: 1010
Two’s complement: 1010 + 1 = 1011 → -5
Arithmetic Rule:
To subtract B from A, do:
A + (Two’s complement of B)
Ignore overflow (extra carry bit)
Example:
A = 6 → 0110
B = 3 → 0011
Two’s complement of B = 1101
Add: 0110 + 1101 = 10011
Ignore overflow → Result = 0011 → 3
🧠 Why It Matters
Method Used For Carry Handling
One’s Complement Older systems Add carry back
Two’s Complement Modern computers Ignore overflow
Two’s complement is preferred because:
Only one representation for zero
Easier hardware implementation
🔹 Bit 5: Codes & Error Detection/Correction
🧾 What Are Codes?
Codes are binary patterns used to represent characters, numbers, or instructions in digital systems.
✅ Common Types of Codes:
Code Type Purpose Example
BCD (Binary-Coded Decimal) Represents decimal digits in binary 5 → 0101
ASCII (American Standard Code for
Represents text characters A → 01000001
Information Interchange)
Only one bit changes at a time Decimal 3 → Binary
Gray Code
(used in rotary encoders) 0011, Gray 0010
5 → BCD 0101 →
Excess-3 Code BCD + 3 (used in older systems)
Excess-3 1000
Error Detecting Codes
These help identify if data has been corrupted during transmission.
🔍 Common Techniques:
1. Parity Bit
o Adds an extra bit to make the number of 1s either even (even parity) or odd (odd
parity).
o Example:
Data: 1010 → Even parity → Add 0 → 10100
2. Checksum
o Adds all data blocks and sends the sum.
o Receiver checks if the sum matches.
3. Hamming Distance
o Measures how many bits differ between two binary strings.
o Used to detect and correct errors.
4. Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC)
o Uses polynomial division to detect errors.
o Very powerful and used in networks, storage devices.
Error Correcting Codes
These not only detect errors but also fix them without needing retransmission.
🧠 Key Method:
Hamming Code
Adds multiple parity bits at specific positions.
Can detect and correct single-bit errors.
Example (4-bit data + 3 parity bits):
Data: D3 D2 D1 D0
Hamming Code: P1 P2 D3 P4 D2 D1 D0
Parity bits (P1, P2, P4) are calculated based on positions.
If an error occurs, the parity bits help locate and correct it.
🧠 Why It Matters
Feature Detect Errors Correct Errors Used In
Parity Bit ✅ ❌ Simple data checks
Checksum ✅ ❌ Internet protocols, files
CRC ✅✅✅ ❌ Ethernet, storage devices
Hamming Code ✅ ✅ RAM, communication systems