answersLogoWhite

0

At the very lowest level, everything in a computer is represented as a series of binary numbers - 1's and 0's - because this is the easiest system for storing information either electronically (with current being turned off or on) or physically (with magnetic or optical media). Beyond that, however, it gets a lot more complicated:

When you save a file to your hard drive, it's first encoded in a file format. This may be a simple text file, where every character inside is simply represented as a binary number representing that particular character. In other applications, this may be far more complex - such as saving a compressed image or a technical design. Applications themselves are exactly the same - the program is saved as a set of instructions, encoded in binary, for the processor to understand.

This file is then tagged with information (again in binary) to represent it's name, the encoding used, how long the file is, and many other attributes. This is stored on the hard drive (or an external device), somewhere on the disk - the computer's operating system then stores an entry in a "File Allocation Table" to remind it where to look in future to find the file.

This is an extremely simplified version of what goes on - but generally these are the basic principles for what happens when data is saved or used within a computer.

User Avatar

Wiki User

9y ago

What else can I help you with?

Related Questions

Does an input device translate data to a form that can be interpreted by a computer?

Yes, an input device translates data from the user into a form that can be interpreted by a computer. For example, a keyboard converts keystrokes into digital signals, while a mouse translates movement and clicks into commands that the computer understands. This translation allows users to interact with the computer effectively.


What kind of information is stored inside the computer?

The specific term is "input data". The general term "data" can refer to "input data", "output data", "stored data" inside the computer, the data being processed by the computer's CPU, etc.


What is the use of ASCII in computer system?

ASCII is the representation of Binary Digits (0 & 1s) which are interpreted by Processor as meaningful data.


What does interpretation of data mean?

How can data be interpreted?


What is a bus in a microprocessor?

A bus consists of wires which is used to transfer data either in serial or parallel transmission.


How is experimental data interpreted in order to formulate conclusions?

by using data


What does bus stand for?

A subsystem that transfers data between components inside a computer.


Which device does put the data coming from a computer inside a company on the local loop?

DCE


How do you get data off a hard drive that was removed from inside a computer?

usb hard drive caddy


What storage media is used to store large amounts of data inside the computer?

Hard Disk


Any four examples of data to be interpreted?

Jane


How do you interpret data tables?

Data tables are interpreted by carefully examining the information provided.