Chap 6- The Binary Computing
Short Questions
Q.1. What is a number system?
Ans. A number system is a way of representing numbers. It defines how numbers are
written, stored, and processed in math and computing. The most common number
systems are Decimal Number System (10), Binary Number System (2), Octal Number
System (8), and Hexadecimal Number System (16).
Q.2. Define Binary state of data.
Ans. In computing, the binary state of data means 0 and 1. All data in a computer is
stored and processed in binary form.
Q.3. Define number system conversion of binary to decimal number system.
Ans. Binary to Decimal conversion is done by multiplying each binary digit by powers
of 2 and adding the results. E.g (1100)2 is converted to Decimal as follows
=1x23 + 1x22 + 0x21 + 0x20
=1x8 + 1x4 + 0x2 + 0x1
=8+4+0+0
=12
Q.4. Describe how to convert text to binary number system.
Ans. Text is converted to binary using ASCII codes.
🔹 Example: Convert "A" to binary
The ASCII value of A is 65 and "A" = (1000001)₂ in binary.
Q.5. List the types of number systems.
There are four main types of number systems:
1-Decimal (Base-10): Uses digits 0 to 9, commonly used in daily life. Example: (123)₁₀
2-Binary (Base-2): Uses only 0 and 1, used in computers. Example: (1010)₂
3-Octal (Base-8): Uses digits 0 to 7, used in computing. Example: (75)₈
4-Hexadecimal (Base-16): Uses digits 0-9 and A-F, used in memory addressing.
Example: (3F) ₁₆
Descriptive Questions
Q.1 . Explain why the computer only understands the binary number system.
Ans. A computer only understands the binary number system because it works using
electric signals. These signals have only two states:
1. ON (1) – When electricity is flowing.
2. OFF (0) – When there is no electricity.
Since computers are made up of electronic circuits, they use 1s and 0s to process and
store information. This system is called binary system. All types of data, like numbers,
text, images, and videos, are converted into binary code so that the computer can
understand and process them. The binary number system is the most reliable and
efficient way for computers to work.
Q.2 . Compare the ASCII, EBCDIC, and Unicode systems.
Ans. ASCII, EBCDIC, and Unicode are character encoding systems used to represent
text in computers.
ASCII is one of the oldest systems, using 7 or 8 bits to represent characters. It can
store 128 to 256 characters, mainly for the English language.
EBCDIC is developed by IBM, uses 8 bits to store 256 characters. It is less common
today.
Unicode, is the most advanced system, using 8, 16, or 32 bits to store over a million
characters, covering almost all languages and symbols worldwide. Unicode is widely
used because it supports multiple languages.