Kahendsüsteemi

Kahendsüsteemi, also known as the binary system, is a numerical system that uses only two distinct digits, typically 0 and 1. This stands in contrast to the decimal system, which is the most common system used by humans and employs ten digits (0 through 9). The binary system is fundamental to digital computing, as electronic circuits can easily represent these two states using different voltage levels. One state can represent a low voltage (0) and the other a high voltage (1).

In the binary system, each digit's position represents a power of two, similar to how each digit in the decimal system represents a power of ten. The rightmost digit represents 2^0 (which is 1), the next digit to the left represents 2^1 (which is 2), then 2^2 (which is 4), and so on. For example, the binary number 101 can be converted to decimal by calculating (1 * 2^2) + (0 * 2^1) + (1 * 2^0) = 4 + 0 + 1 = 5. Conversely, the decimal number 5 is represented as 101 in binary.

The concept of a binary system dates back centuries, with early ideas present in ancient Indian mathematics and Chinese texts. However, its modern application and widespread use are intrinsically linked to the development of electronic computers in the 20th century. Engineers and mathematicians like George Boole, with his work on Boolean algebra, laid the theoretical groundwork for using binary logic in computation. The efficiency and simplicity of representing information with two states make the binary system the bedrock of all digital data processing, storage, and transmission.

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