Binary systems and Hexadecimal Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in Binary systems and Hexadecimal Deck (6)
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1
Q

What is binary?

A
  • Series of 1’s and 0’s that represent values or characters
  • Values are stored in base-2 (denary is in base-10)
  • One binary digit is called a ‘bit’
  • 8 bits make up one ‘byte’
  • The maximum size of the integer able to be stored depends on the number of bits used - e.g. the largest number stored by 8 bits is 255
2
Q

Describe the use of binary in computer registers

A
  • A register is a location where data that the processor is using can be stored
  • Processors have internal registers that data can be transferred between
  • The register itself is a group of binary cells, where data is stored as a series of 1’s and 0’s.
3
Q

What is binary-coded decimal and where is it used?

A
  • A system of writing numerals where each digit is represented by a 4-bit binary sequence
  • Has the advantage that there is no limit to the size of the number: to add another digit, you just need to add a new 4-bit sequence
  • Used in barcodes and arithmetic where every digit has to be retained in a result
4
Q

What is hexadecimal?

A
  • Series of the numbers 1-9 and letters A-F that represent values or characters
  • Values are stored in base-16
5
Q

Why is hexadecimal used to represent numbers?

A
  • Each hexadecimal digit represents 4 binary digits, so it is shorter to read
  • Easier for programmers to read as more characters are used (not just 1’s and 0’s)
  • Very large numbers can be stored in a smaller amount of space
6
Q

List some current uses of hexadecimal numbers in computing

A
  • defining colours in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)
  • Media Access Control (MAC) addresses
  • assembly languages and machine code
  • debugging