Students, do you know how computers work?You may think that computers are amazing, it can help us do many things, such as surfing the Internet, playing games, watching**, doing homework, and so on. But have you ever wondered how computers process this information?How does the computer understand our instructions?How does a computer do the calculations?
In fact, the working principle of the computer is not so complicated, it is actually based on a very simple number system, that is, binary.
What is binary?Binary is a system of numbers with only two numbers, which are 0 and 1. We usually use the decimal system, which means that there are ten numbers, from 0 to 9. Each digit in the decimal system can represent 10 different values, such as a single digit can represent 0 to 9, a decade can represent 10 to 90, a hundred digit can represent 100 to 900, and so on. Each bit of binary can only represent two different values, for example, a single digit can represent 0 or 1, a tenth digit can represent 0 or 2, a hundred digit can represent 0 or 4, and so on. Each bit of binary is called a bit, which is the smallest unit of information in a computer. Eight bits make up a byte, which is a commonly used unit of information in computers. A single byte can represent 256 different values, ranging from 000000000 to 11111111.
So, why do computers use binary?This is because binary has many advantages, such as simplicity, convenience, and efficiency. Binary only has two digits, so it is easy to implement with a circuit, which has two states, corresponding to 0 and 1, such as on and off, high and low, positive and negative, etc. Binary is also easy to calculate, with only a few simple rules to complete basic operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, as well as more complex logical operations and data processing. Binary is also very efficient, it can use a small number of digits to represent large values, such as 1000 in decimal, with binary only 10 digits, which is 1111101000. Binary can also be used to represent any numerical value, text, image, audio and other information, as long as some encoding rules are used, this information can be converted into binary form, such as ASCII code, Unicode code, JPEG format, ** format, etc.
So, how do computers do operations in binary?Here it is necessary to mention the ** processor (CPU), which is the core of the computer, used to execute the user's instructions and data, and it can be divided into two parts, namely the control unit and the arithmetic logic unit. The control unit is used to control the workflow of the computer, it can take instructions and data from the input device, then parse, distribute and execute them, and finally send the results to the output device. The arithmetic logic unit is used to perform binary operations, which can complete basic operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, as well as logical operations such as and, or, non, and XOR.
To make it easier to understand, let's use a simple example to illustrate how a computer does operations in binary. Suppose we want to use a computer to calculate the decimal 5 plus 7, we first need to convert 5 and 7 into binary form, which is 0101 and 0111. Then, we need to use an input device, such as a keyboard, to enter these two binary numbers, as well as the addition symbol, which is +. The control unit then transmits this information to the arithmetic logic unit, which adds it bit by bit from right to left according to the rules of addition, if both digits are 0, the result is 0, if both digits are 1, the result is 0, the carry is 1, if one is 0 and one is 1, the result is 1, and the carry is 0. So, the result of adding 0101 and 0111 is 1100, and the carry is 0. Finally, the control unit transmits this result to an output device, such as a display, which converts the binary number into decimal form, i.e. 12, and displays it. In this way, we have completed the calculation of 5 plus 7.
Through this article, we learned that a computer is a smart device that can process all kinds of information, and they use a number system called binary, that is, there are only two numbers, 0 and 1. We also learned about the advantages, principles, and applications of binary, as well as the basic structure and working principles of computer computers. We also use a simple example of how a computer can perform operations in binary. We hope that through this article, we can help students better understand the knowledge of computer science and binary, and also stimulate students' interest and enthusiasm for computer science.