Number system used with computers

Answer 1

When dealing with large quantity of binary numbers of many bits, it is easy and more efficient for us to write the numbers in octal form. This system is used to express large numbers as used in computers e.g. 16 bits or 32 bits used to express data, memory address, instruction code, processor status etc. Moreover, octal multiplication and division are more easy than the hexadecimal number system. As they are complex because they make use of alphabets 'A' to 'F' after 0 to 9. -

Answer 2

The binary numeral system, or base-2 number system, is a numeral system that represents numeric values using two symbols, usually 0 and 1. More specifically, the usual base-2 system is a positional notation with a radix of 2. Owing to its straightforward implementation in digital electronic circuitry using logic gates, the binary system is used internally by all modern computers.

Answer 3

Internally, computers generally use a binary number system, where numbers are constructed to a base (radix) of 2. Digits are, therefore, 0 (zero) and 1 (one). In a binary system, each digit is represented by one bit.

While any information, including numbers, is stored in a binary code by today's computers, data is interpreted differently according to the context in which it is viewed.

For example, a series of 32 consecutive bits can be interpreted as four signed or unsigned numbers in the 0..255 or -128..+127 value range, as two signed or unsigned 16-bit numbers in the 0..65535 or -32768..+32767, as one signed or unsigned 32-bit number in the 0..232-1 or -231..+231-1 value range, or any combination thereof (not exceeding a total of 32 bits). Most modern computers also include hardware support for floating-point arithmetic, which could then interpret the same 32 consecutive bits as an IEEE 754 single precision floating point value.

The context (the machine instruction) in which these bits are inspected dictates the way the processor interprets these bits, and affects the result. For example, adding two single precision floating point values results in a different bit pattern than interpreting the same two 32 bit fields as signed 32-bit numbers and adding those.

It is worth noting that decimal, octal or hexadecimal number systems, which are often mentioned in the same context, are not used by computers at all. These systems are simply different methods of presenting ordered sets of bits to a human consumer. (The exception is that some computers support hardware for binary encoded decimal numbers (BCD). These are rarely used these days due to their inefficiency, but may still be supported in some modern designs due to concerns of backwards compatibility.)

Answer 4

The base number system used by most and maybe all computers is Binary or a series of 1's and 0's used to designate on and off. With 1 being on or active, and 0 being off or inactive.

Answer 5

Computers don't "understand" much of anything, and they can work with different number systems. Internally, they do lots of their work in binary (base 2).

Answer 6

Binary. That is 0s and 1s.

Answer 7

bianary