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What is a bit in a computer code?

Updated: 8/11/2023
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14y ago

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A bit is the smallest unit of storage in a computer. It represents either a 0 or a 1, which comes from the electrical basis of a computer in which current can either be flowing (1) or not flowing (0).

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15y ago
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14y ago

A bit is a single digit in binary - the system that a computer uses to count. As humans we use a number system called Denary or Decimal. This means that each column of numbers represents a power of 10, moving from right to left.

For example:

When we write a number, (512 for example) what we are really saying is:

5 1 2

(5 multiplied by 100) + (1 multiplied by 10) + 2 = 512

It's commonly believed that we use 10 as the base for our number system because we learned to count on our fingers (+ thumbs). Most of the time we have 10 digits on both hands to count on.

Computers of course, don't have hands so they have to count a different way - using electrical switches that are either on or off (just like your finger might be up or down if you were counting on them).

So computers count using a number system that's based on the number 2 - because a simple switch can only have two states - on or off.

A bit is one of those simple switches. It can have one of only two possible values - 1 or 0.

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12y ago

A bit is a binary digit. A series of bits is binary code, otherwise known as machine code, the native language of a computer. The CPU (central processing unit) interprets the series of bits as a sequence of commands and their operands. The bits are actually a series of switches that can either be on or off. The exact combination of switches determines which command to execute. The command itself determines which of the following bits are the operands, if any are required. After executing the command, it moves onto the next set of bits, which alters the switches to execute another command. By continually changing the configuration of the switches, the computer can be made to "run" a program -- a series of commands that perform a specific task. By changing the binary code, the CPU can run different programs to perform different tasks.

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