Binary Numbers

We recently learned about binary numbers. Binary numbers is a language read by computers using only 1's and 0's. While we define the number seventy eight as 78, a computer reads it as 1001111. Weird huh? It's somewhat of a confusing process. To convert a regular number to binary, it helps to start with a table of sorts. You start at the right and work you're way to the left with:

2^0, 2^1, 2^2, 2^3....and so on until the largest number cannot go into whatever number your trying to convert. For the number 529, I would go all the way up to 2^9 which is 512. Since 512 will go into 529 once, the first number is a 1. You're left with 17 and you see how many times it can fit into the remaining numbers. 17 does not fit until 2^4 (16), so you subtract 16 from 17, leaving 1. Then you continue seeing how many times 1 fits in the remaining numbers. So 529 converts to 1000010000. To convert a a binary number into regular, you just do the reverse process. Its tricky, but it can be mastered.