binary numbers

Numbers stored in pure binary form. Within one byte (8 bits), the values 0 to 255 can be held. Two contiguous bytes (16 bits) can hold values from 0 to 65,535. See numbers and binary values.

Binary and Binary Coded Decimal

The binary method converts the entire decimal number into a binary number. Note that the decimal number "260" takes only nine bits in binary. The 16 bits in the binary example above can hold a number as high as 65,535, using only two bytes instead of five. It also processes faster than binary coded decimal.

How Numbers Are Stored

Binary is one of four primary ways numbers are stored in the computer.