Binary numbers

Binary numbers, system of designating numbers using only the digits 0 and 1, widely employed in digital computers. Each digit in the binary system represents a successive power of 2, just as digits in the decimal system represent successive powers of 10. For example, in the binary system, the number 110 represents: (1 × 2²) + (1 × 2¹) + (0 × 2⁰), which equals (in the decimal system) 4 + 2 + 0, or 6. While this system may appear cumbersome, it is easily adaptable to electronic circuits, where the 2 digits (0 and 1) can be represented by the 2 states of a switch: open or closed.