Binary Numbers
Binary numbers are a counting system that uses only two digits, zero and one.
A row of light switches on a wall can show any number. Each switch is either off (zero) or on (one). Two switches give you four combos: both off, first on, second on, or both on. Eight switches can show 256 numbers, from zero to 255.
Explaining binary numbers by grade level
You know the digits zero through nine. Binary uses just zero and one. You can show any number with those two digits. Try counting on your fingers — up or down, like a switch.
Projects that explore binary numbers
Binary numbers use only two digits, zero and one, to represent any value. That simplicity makes base 2 the most stripped-down alternative to everyday base-10 counting. When you translate number sequences into base 2, then read those digits as base-10 numbers, surprising patterns appear. Many of them connect back to the original sequence, revealing how binary encoding reshapes familiar numbers in unexpected ways.
Binary numbers use only two digits, zero and one, to represent any value. In this number-game project, you show how values can be counted using their base 2 representations, putting binary counting to work in a real proof.