Binäärisiä

Binäärisiä is a Finnish term describing things related to binary systems, most commonly binary numbers in base-2 notation. In mathematics and computer science, binääriset luvut usevat aakkoset 0 and 1 as digits, with each position representing a power of two. The rightmost digit is 2^0, the next 2^1, and so on. To convert a binary number to decimal, the positions carrying 1 are summed as powers of two; for example, 1011₂ equals 8 + 2 + 1 = 11. Decimal to binary conversion uses repeated division by two or other algorithms.

Binary representation lies at the core of modern computing. Data are stored and processed as bits, the binary digits 0 and 1. Eight bits form a byte, and larger measurements such as kilobytes and megabytes describe bigger data quantities. Binary arithmetic and Boolean logic underlie digital circuits: logic gates like AND, OR, and NOT implement fundamental operations. In computers, signed integers are commonly represented using two's complement in binary.

Binary encoding also enables efficient data interchange. Text and multimedia are converted into binary forms through standards such as ASCII or UTF-8, which map characters to binary sequences. Binary is favored for its simplicity and reliability in hardware design, as electronic states can be cleanly distinguished as two levels.

Historically, the binary numeral system was investigated by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz in the 17th–18th centuries as a theoretical concept, and it became practical for computing in the 20th century. Today, binäärisiä concepts permeate digital technology, informing both fundamental theory and everyday applications in information processing.