Binääriluvun

A binääriluku, or binary number, is a number expressed in the base-2 numeral system. This means it only uses two digits, 0 and 1, to represent values. Unlike the decimal system we commonly use (base-10), which has ten digits (0 through 9), the binary system relies on powers of two. Each digit in a binary number corresponds to a specific power of two, starting from the rightmost digit representing 2^0 (which is 1), then 2^1 (which is 2), 2^2 (which is 4), and so on, moving left.

For example, the binary number 1011 can be converted to decimal as follows: (1 * 2^3) + (0 * 2^2) + (1 * 2^1) + (1 * 2^0) = 8 + 0 + 2 + 1 = 11. Binary numbers are fundamental to digital computing. Electronic devices, like computers and smartphones, use binary code to represent and process all information, from text and images to complex software instructions. This is because electrical circuits can easily represent two states: on (represented by 1) and off (represented by 0). The simplicity of binary makes it ideal for reliable and efficient processing in digital systems.