Binary coding

Binary coding is the term used to describe how information, normally numbers, are stored in binary form.

The conventional mathematical way is described in the article about binary, however to electronic purposes different ways of encoding numbers are used for efficiency or practical reasons.

Coding systems include:

• Binary Coded Decimal : Each digit of decimal is encoded as a 4-bit binary number. The digits are then individually decoded to form a decimal number. This system is most commonly used in calculators.

• Two's Complement : The number is encoded so negative numbers start with a 1, then all other 1's are subtracted. Eg. 1111₂=-1₁₀. This useful for arithmetic with binary and allows greater flexiblity when dealing with both positive and negative integers.

See also:

• Gray code, binary.