Computer Concepts in Action ©2009

Introduction:
Learn how to write your name in bits and bytes.

Directions:
Read the information below and apply what you learn to answer the questions.
Check your work carefully, and click Submit.

The Business of Binaries
At a fundamental level, computers function on the basis of whether or not electricity is present. This "on or off" nature of computing is reflected in the language of computer hardware: binary numbers. Binary numbers are simply two unique numbers, 1s and 0s. Computers use different strings and combinations to process data and perform operations. Each 1 or 0 is called a bit.

It takes eight bits to make up an individual character (letter, number, or symbol) used in the English language. Each individual character is called as a byte. Therefore, eight bits equal one byte (8 bits = 1 byte).

While a bit is technically the smallest unit of information, bytes are known as the building blocks for all information that flows through a computer. Of course, computers process huge amounts of information.

• 1 Kilobyte (KB) = 1,000 bytes (approximately 1/3 of a page of text)
• 1 Megabyte (MB) = 1,000 KB (approximately 365 pages of text)
• 1 Gigabyte (GB) = 1,000 MB (approximately 395,000 pages of text)
• 1 Terabyte (TB) = 1,000 GB (approximately 400 million pages of text)

Below is the binary code for each letter of the alphabet. Note that each letter is eight bits, or one byte, of information.

Assessment Questions

1			How many bytes in a Terabyte (TB)?
2			How many Kilobytes (KBs) in a 100MB file?
3			How many bits are used in the word "computer"?
4			Write your first name in binary.