Why do Computers Use Binary?

By Fatima Nadeem

In the 21 st Century our society has become accustomed to using electronic devices that we believe life

without is unthinkable. When I was about 5 years old I once asked my mom, who mind you was born in

1969, what Ipad she had when she was a kid. When she told me there was no such thing as an Ipad

during her childhood my mind couldn’t even imagine it, because I was practically raised by my tablet.

These days we use electronic devices such as washing machines, dish washers, toasters, televisions,

microwave, etc . have become staples in our day to day lives. But most of us don’t even know why we call

them electronic devices or what even helps them execute different inputs, process them, and to display

an output. The Wikipedia definition states that, “Electrical devices or electric devices are devices that

functionally rely on electric energy (AC or DC) to operate their core parts (electric motors, transformers,

lighting, rechargeable batteries, control electronics”, or in simple words, use electrical power to function.

Now we are going to move on to how computers function. The computer uses its hardware and software

they follow instructions in order to function. The CPU is responsible for executing tasks via manipulating

data and calculations. The computer system follows a cycle of fetching information, processing the

information, and then executing it in one way or another. For example the user inputs two, and gives the

demand that it should be multiplied by 2, that is the process, so the output form will be displayed on

screen.

Since you now understand why computers are called electronic devices and how they function we will

move onto binary. What is binary specifically? Binary is a number system that uses only two numbers

which is either 1 or 0. These represent electrical signals where 1 means on, and 0 means off. They show

either the presence or absence of an electrical signal. The binary system is also known as the base

system.

Let us now move onto why computer systems use binary. First of all they are only two numbers making

them easy to distinguish as a result it is less prone to any errors occurring and clearer distinctions. Also,

due to this system using two digits, hardware that handle binary data has a faster execution speed, few

components, and is easier to build. The building blocks of a computer such a logic gates, and transistors

use binary to process data and carry out calculations. So you see, This number system plays a huge role.

The binary number system is used in both ASCII and Unicode which are used for text, and digital encoding

which is for images. An example, the binary for the letter A would be 01000001.

Binary not only allows universal communication between all devices since every electronic device uses

binary, but is much more efficient in data processing and storing data compared to denary, hexadecimal,

or octal. Sure MAC addresses, IP addresses, and Error codes may be displayed on screen in hexadecimal

format, but that is specifically for us humans since we cannot comprehend binary as easily. Whenever a

computer processes something is always converts either a hexadecimal, decimal. Or octal number into ,

of course, binary.

In conclusion, without binary computers would not be able to function. Without binary they wouldn’t be

able to process, manipulate, or store data as easily. So yes you have to thank this system for all our

technological advancements to robots, AI, automated machines, etc.