Introduction to Computing

Lecture 3

Instructor: Bushra Naz

 How Computers Represent Data
 Number systems
 A manner of counting
 Several different number systems exist

 Decimal number system

 Used by humans to count
 Contains ten distinct digits
 Origin: Probably because human beings normally have 10
fingers
 Digits combine to make larger numbers

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 How Computers Represent Data
 Clocks have 24 hours
 Each hour  60 minutes

 Each minute  60 seconds

 When we time something, we count in seconds,

minutes and hours

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 How Computers Represent Data
 Computers use electronic switches called transistors
 A switch can either be ON or OFF

=1 =0

 Only two numeric values can be represented by one

switch, 0 and 1

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How Computers Represent Data
 Binary number system
 Used by computers to count
 Two distinct digits, 0 and 1
Do you know
 0 and 1 combine to make numbers
the bit pattern
representing
H?

The answer
is 01001000
 How Computers Represent Data
 Bits and bytes
 Binary numbers are made of bits

 Bit (Binary Digit) represents a switch

 A byte is 8 bits

 Byte represents one character

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How Computers Represent Data
 Any number from the decimal number system can also be
written using binary number system

 Decimal to Binary conversion is required

 Each digit in the decimal number system has a place value

 Ones (100), Tens(101), Hundreds(102), Thousands(103)

How Computers Represent Data
The place value is expressed in powers of 10
 10 to the power of digit position
 10 is called the base of the Decimal number system

 In binary number system the base is 2

 Place value is 2 to the power of digit position
Conversion from Decimal to Binary
Lets count from 0 in both decimal and binary simultaneously and make
sure every binary number is used
• 010  02 • 810  10002 • 1610  100002
• 110  12 • 910  10012 • 1710  100012
• 210  102 • 1010  10102 • 1810  100102
And so on..
• 310  112 • 1110  10112 • 1910  100112
• 410  1002 • 1210  11002 • 2010  101002
• 510  1012 • 1310  11012 • 2110  101012
• 610  1102 • 1410  11102 • 2210  101102
• 710  1112 • 1510  11112 • 2310  101112
Conversion from Binary to Decimal
 Did You notice some pattern?

 All odd numbers in decimal end with 1 in binary

 All even numbers is decimal end with 0 in binary

 The bits pattern repeats itself after the addition of every 1 on

the Left Hand Side

 Same things happens in decimal

 E.g. digits 0-99 repeat after addition of digits 1-9 on the L.H.S
Conversion from Binary to Decimal
 How would you represent 24510 in binary??

 Some conversion procedure or formula is required so that

we can convert any number from decimal to binary without
having to count from 0 till that number
Conversion from Binary to Decimal
 First Consider Conversion to binary to decimal
 Binary number system has a base ‘2’
 For conversion calculate place value of each digit
position and multiply by the corresponding digit value
(0 or 1)
(1 1 0 0 1)2

24 23 22 21 20
=1x 24 + 1x 23 + 0x 22 + 0x 21 + 1x 20
= 1x16 + 1x8+ 0x4+ 0x2 + 1x1
= 16 + 8 + 0 + 0 + 1 = 2510
Other Number Systems
 Hexa-Decimal Number System
 16 possible values

 0,1,2,…9,A,B,..F

 Base 16

 Octal Number System

 8 possible values

 0,1,2,..7

 Base 8
Conversion between Binary and Hexadecimal
Binary to Hexadecimal
 Make groups of 4 bits
 Start from right
 Add zeroes to right if required.
Hexadecimal to Binary
Write down binary equivalent
code of every hexadecimal digit.

 Find equivalent hexadecimal

DEC216 = 1101 1110 1100 00102
code of every group
10010110110010112 = 96CB16
1001 0110 1100 10112
9 6 C B
Conversion between Hexadecimal and Decimal
Hexadecimal to Decimal Decimal to Hexadecimal
 Multiply each hexadecimal  Divide decimal number with 16
number with 16 to the power and note down its remainder.
of its position 99910 = 3E716

Quotient Remainder
3AC16 = 3x162 + 10x161 + 12x160
999/16 62 7
= 768 + 160 + 12
62/16 3 14
= 94010
3/16 0 3
Boolean Algebra
Truth Table for AND operator Truth Table for OR operator
A B Y = A.B A B Y = A+B
0 0 0 0 0 0
0 1 0 0 1 1
1 0 0 1 0 1
1 1 1 1 1 1

Truth Table for NOT operator

A Y = A’
0 1
1 0
 How Computers Represent Data
 Text codes
 Converts letters into binary
 Standard codes necessary for data transfer
 ASCII – 8 bits
 Values 0-127
 American English symbols
 Extended ASCII – 16 bits
 Values 128-256
 Graphics and other symbols
 Unicode – 32 bits
 All languages on the planet

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