Computer Basics Binary

Bits & Bytes

Answer Key

1. All the information that travels through your computer is based on two commands, which are on and off. The millions of combinations of those two commands given in series are what makes a computer work.

2. The power supply inside your computer sends electricity to all the components inside the computer to create an “on” signal. The memory chips inside the computer are divided into thousands of tiny compartments called bits. Each bit has an electronic switch or gate. On means the gate is open, which is read as the number 1. The computer reads off bits as 0.

3. Eight bits are grouped together to form a byte. The binary code depends on how the 1’s and 0’s within a byte are grouped.

Keyboard Binary Code

MonitorCPU

4. Label the diagram to show how a computer converts data into binary code.

5. What does each abbreviation mean? KB = kilobyte = about 1,000 bytesMB = megabyte = about 1,000,000 bytesGB = gigabyte = about 1,000,000,000 bytes

6. The number that comes before the abbreviations represent a computer’s memory capacity, or how many bytes of memory it has. A 15 GB hard drive has 15,000,000,000 bytes for storing memory.

Challenge: Each rectangle below represents one byte made up of 8 bits. Label the byte using a 1 for each white “on” bit and a 0 for each black “off” bit.

Remember … One byte = 8 bits

The End!