Binary

See also: Number System | Hexadecimal | Decimal | ASCII | FTP

Characterized by or consisting of two parts or components. (Dictionary.com).

A base-2 number system which represents all information with only two states, on (1) and off (0). In computers, a data point made of a 1 or 0 is a single bit.

Binary is important mainly because it can be represented easily in electronics by either the presence or lack of current. Computers use binary for both their instructions and memory. Binary can also be useful for some math operations, known as bit-shifting. This is a much faster basic math than other systems, useful for speed-intensive programs such as games and calculation.

Binary is difficult to read, however, so it is often converted to hexadecimal for browsing. There is a general purpose algorithm for converting between number systems on the page for hexadecimal.

Binary Mode in FTP

See FTP for “Binary Mode”.

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