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Binary coding is a system of ones and zeros used to program computers. It is based on bits, with a byte being eight bits. Binary codes are stored in different ways and can represent different information. Binary coding is also used in genetic algorithms.
Binary coding is a type of code primarily used to program computers at the most basic level. It consists of a system of ones and zeros, designed to represent a “true” or “false” value in logical operations. Binary encoding was developed by Claude Shannan in the 1930s using switches.
Binaries are raw data used by nearly all computers, but most computer users do not interact with them directly. The computer reads the binary code and translates it into useful data for the user. Codes are stored in different ways depending on the type of object. For example, codes can be stored based on voltage, simply indicating whether an item is on, has voltage, or is off. CD-ROMs use dark spots on a glossy surface to indicate “true” or “false” values, hard drives use magnetism, and memory uses electric charge.
Binary coding is based on bits, the smallest unit of coding. Similar to a switch that can be turned off or on, a bit can have a value of one or zero. More familiar processing units are derived from the bit. A byte is eight bits, a kilobyte has 1,000 bytes, and a megabyte has 1,000 kilobytes. The higher the number of bits, the more combinations the bits can be in, so the more information can be stored.
For example, two bits have four states. Both can be turned off, both can be turned on, or one can be turned off and one can be turned on. In binary, these combinations are written as 00, 01, 10, 11. The number of states of a group of bits can be found from the expression 2n, where n is the number of bits.
Since there are only two values for each bit, they are easier to work with than other computer encoding processes. Groups of bits are used to represent different information. A byte often represents an alphabetic character. For example, the letter “A” written in binary is “01000001”.
A hard drive in a modern computer can hold 150 million characters. Operating systems use about 100 megabytes of those fonts. Files also use binary encoding, .exe and .gif files notably store their data in binary code. Data is transmitted over the Internet or stored on drives in binary format and then decoded by computer into usable information.
While most often used to program computers, binary coding is also used in genetic algorithms to determine crossovers in inheritance between parents and offspring. Bits are assigned to each parent to represent a piece of their genetic code. Then random or specific bits are copied or reversed to produce the offspring code.
