binary

binary

1. Maths Computing of, relating to, or expressed in binary notation or binary code

2. (of a compound or molecule) containing atoms of two different elements

3. Metallurgy (of an alloy) consisting of two components or phases

4. (of an educational system) consisting of two parallel forms of education such as the grammar school and the secondary modern in Britain

5. Maths Logic (of a relation, expression, or operation) applying to two elements of its domain; having two argument places; dyadic

6. Astronomy See binary star

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

binary

[′bīn·ə·rē]

(computer science)

Possessing a property for which there exists two choices or conditions, one choice excluding the other.

(science and technology)

Composed of or characterized by two parts or elements.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

binary

(mathematics)

Base two. A number representation consisting of zeros and ones used by practically all computers because of its ease of implementation using digital electronics and Boolean algebra.

binary

(file format)

binary file.

binary

(programming)

A description of an operator which takes two arguments. See also unary, ternary.

This article is provided by FOLDOC - Free Online Dictionary of Computing (foldoc.org)

binary

(1) A binary is an executable program. See bin and bin file.

(2) Meaning two states (0 and 1). Binary is the basic operation in every digital device both for storage and execution. It is manifested physically as a charge in a storage cell or a voltage in a transmission line. It is the simplicity of the binary concept that enabled digital devices to become the technology architecture of modern society.

Binary Concepts Go Back to the 1600s
Although binary-based computers began to proliferate in the 1950s, English philosopher and statesman Francis Bacon created a secret code of the alphabet consisting only of the letters "a" and "b" in 1623. For example, his initials "FB" were coded as "aabab aaaab."

Internally Everything Is Binary
All input is converted to a 0 or 1. For example, pressing "A" on the keyboard generates the binary number 01000001 and sends it to the computer's RAM as on/off pulses defined by voltage levels. The bits are stored as temporarily charged cells in RAM, as permanent charges in a solid state drive (SSD) or as microscopic magnets on a hard drive. The computer's display screen and printers convert the binary numbers into visual characters.

Circuits Are Binary
The electronic circuits that process the binary data are also binary. They are made up of on/off switches (transistors) that are electrically opened and closed. The current flowing through one switch turns on (or off) another switch, and so on. These switches open and close in nanoseconds and picoseconds (billionths and trillionths of a second). See Boolean gates.

Smaller Spots - Faster Switches
A computer's capability to do work is based on its workspace capacity (RAM), storage capacity (disk or SSD) and the speed of its circuits. Greater capacities are achieved by making the memory cells or magnetic spots smaller. Faster circuits are achieved by shortening the time to open or close the transistor, which is derived by making the elements of the transistor smaller and smaller (see process technology). See bit, byte, binary numbers, binary values, binary file, binary standard and binaries.

How Binary Numbers Work
In the decimal numbering system, adding 9 and 1 produces a result of 0 in the 1s position plus a carry of 1. The carry jumps over to the 10s position on the left.

             carry--19+  1____10

Binary numbers use only the digits 0 and 1. The following example adds 1 ten times in succession in both base 2 (binary) and base 10 (decimal). The carry occurs many more times in binary because there are only two digits (0 or 1).

  Binary      Decimal

                 0           0

              +  1        +  1
              ____        ____
                 1           1

              +  1        +  1
              ____        ____
                10           2

              +  1        +  1
              ____        ____
                11           3

              +  1        +  1
              ____        ____
               100           4

              +  1        +  1
              ____        ____
               101           5

              +  1        +  1
              ____        ____
               110           6

              +  1        +  1
              ____        ____
               111           7

              +  1        +  1
              ____        ____
              1000           8

              +  1        +  1
              ____        ____
              1001           9

              +  1        +  1
              ____        ____
              1010          10

For the True Geek

This analog wristwatch displays the hours in binary. Only four bits (1, 2, 4 and 8) are required to hold 12 hours. The hour hand is currently at 10 o'clock, which shows the 2-bit and 8-bit turned on. (Image courtesy of Cadence Watch Company.)

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