Bit
What Is Bit?
The bit is the basic unit of information in digital communication. It is represented by the numbers 1 and 0. The name is derived from binary digits. A bit can be stored in a digital device or physical device that can exist in two possible distinct states. 8 bits form a byte. Half a byte is called a nibble. 1024 bytes form 1 kilobyte. 1024 Kilobytes form 1 Megabyte and so on.
Decimal | Binary |
---|---|
0 | 0 |
1 | 1 |
2 | 10 |
3 | 11 |
4 | 100 |
5 | 101 |
What is Binary Coded Decimal (BCD)?
BCD is a type of binary encoding where each decimal digit is represented by a fixed number of bits. Each decimal is represented by its corresponding binary number as in the case below. Characters are represented by a special set of patterns.
Decimal: | 9 | 8 |
---|---|---|
Binary | 1001 | 1000 |
Thus 98 becomes 1001100 in BCD.