Binary digit

Binary Digit

A binary digit, often shortened to bit, is the most basic unit of information in computing and digital communications. The name is a portmanteau of binary and digit, in reference to its two possible states. In the binary system, digits are used in a manner analogous to the decimal system's use of decimal digits.

History

The concept of the binary digit can be traced back to Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, who in the 17th century proposed a system of binary arithmetic, where each digit represents a power of two. This concept was later applied to computing by Claude Shannon in the 20th century.

Representation

A binary digit can represent one of two states: 0 or 1. These states can be interpreted as on or off, true or false, or any other pair of opposites. This makes binary digits particularly useful in boolean logic and digital circuit design.

Use in Computing

In computing, binary digits are used to represent all information. This includes not only numerical data, but also text, images, sound, and other types of data. Each bit in a binary number represents a power of two, much like each digit in a decimal number represents a power of ten.

See Also

• Binary number
• Binary code
• Boolean logic
• Digital circuit