How does a computer represent numbers using bits?

Many computer systems (though not all) represent numbers internally in base two, by using large numbers of heavily miniaturized devices called bistables.

Bistables really are a class of devices, like "cars" for instance. Various technologies will implement bistables in various ways, but like "cars", they will all implement some basic common functionality. In the case of the bistable this basic functionality is the fact that they can only have one of two states, at any one time: "on" and "off".

The "on" state of a bistable represents a binary "1" and the "off" state represents a binary "0". Thus, the decimal number 3 (binary 11) for example can be represented by two bistables, each of them in their "on" state.

Because bistables have two possible states, they can only be used to represent base two numbers for which only two possible digits (1 and 0) are needed. Therefore computers are said to operate in base two.

However, any number can be converted from any base to any base, so any decimal number one can think of can also be stored by a computer in base two, with no disadvantage.

Any content that can be represented numerically can also be represented by binary numbers and therefore computers are able to employ various quantities of bistables to represent all sorts of contents, from images to text to software. hello people, kyjc