1. Introduction
to Binary

2. So what is Binary about?
Binary is the language which is used by
computers.
It uses 0 and 1 to represent different
numbers, it looks a bit like
0101001001100101010101010101010101
0100101110101010101010101010011010
101010101010101010101010101001010
1010101100110010101010101010101010
10100101010010101

3. Everyday we use general numbers
like 0-9
We see number such as
Hundreds, Tens, Units
For the example ‘2’ could actually
represent 200
This is called ‘base 10’ where each
position to the left is worth 10x more
than the right, such as,
200, 20, 2

4. Binary used ‘Base 2’ This is where
each position to the left is work 2x
as much as the right.
16, 8, 4, 2, 1

5. So how do we write numbers in
binary?

6. So, to write numbers in Binary you only have to be
able to add.
For example:
If I wanted to write 9 as a Binary number I have to see
which columns I can use to get to 9
16 8 4 2 1
0 1 0 0 1
I would put a 1 in the place that has the value of ‘8’,
zeroes in the ‘4’ and ‘2’ columns and a 1 in the ‘1’
column. (1 x 8) and (1 x 1) gives me 9

7. But couldn’t I get to 9 like this?
16 8 4 2
0 0 0 4
Or
16 8 4 2
0 0 1 2
1
1
1
1

8. No
Binary only uses 1s and 0s.
Here are some more examples:
32 16 8 4 2 1
1 0 1 0 0 0 = 40
0 0 0 1 1 0=6
0 1 0 0 0 1 = 17

9. So when we work out binary, we find
out how big the file is.
For example if it adds up to 9 this
means it is 9 bits of information.
And 8 bits equals 1 byte of
information.

10. Try completing worksheet 1 and
worksheet 2, these will be found on
the mission 1 page on part 2. Once
you’ve completed them upload them
onto the upload section so I can see
how your getting on.