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Binary Numbers
Binary numbers are just "base 2" numbers. They work the same way as "normal" base 10 numbers, but with two symbols instead of ten.
- Base-2 (binary) symbols:
0and1 - Base-10 (decimal) symbols:
0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9
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Each digit's place value is double the place to its right. In a 4-digit binary number, the place values are:
- Eights
- Fours
- Twos
- Ones
For example, 0101 means:
0eights1four0twos1one
So 0101 is 5 in decimal.
Try changing the bits:
Binary in Python
You can write an integer in Python using binary syntax using the 0b prefix:
print(0b0001)
# Prints 1
print(0b0101)
# Prints 5
Leading 0s are often added for visual consistency but do not change the value of a binary number.