History of Computing - Binary Numbers activities and context that includes video resources to teach Binary counting

BBC Bitesize Programming resources on binary numbers and number logic

Binary

Understand how numbers can be represented in binary, and be able to carry out simple operations on binary numbers [for example, binary addition, and conversion between binary and decimal]

Digital computers store and process all data? (such as text, pictures, video) as sequences of ones and zeros, for example 10100101. A single 1/0 value is known as a bit.

A sequence of bits may directly represent a binary (base 2) number. The digits in a binary number have place values much like the digits in a decimal number but, in the case of binary, each place value is a power

 

table showing how to convert 13 into binary

Addition in binary works in the same way as addition in decimal, except that the maximum any column can hold is 1 rather than 9.

About

This LGfL guide is an adapted version of 'Computing in the National Curriculum: A guide for secondary teachers'. Modifications include additional hyperlinks, alterations to the menu structure, typesetting and cover design.

Author

Author: Peter Kemp

Consultants for Computing at School: Mark Dorling, Simon Humphreys, Stephen Hunt, Colin Jackson

Consultants for NAACE: Miles Berry, Amanda Jackson (Havering Education Services)

Text design, typesetting and Cover Design: Burville-Riley Partnership.

Photography: Ron Coello

With thanks to the students and teachers of Yavneh College, Borehamwood and Hertswood Academy, Borehamwood.

Acknowledgements

Computing at school and NAACE would like to acknowledge the following organisations for their support in the development and publication of this guide:
The Raspberry Pi Foundation
The Department for Education
The University of Hertfordshire Schools of Computer Science and Education

Copyright

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License