13,420
edits
Changes
→Why Study Data Representation?
===Why Study Data Representation?===
<table align="right"><tr valign="top"><td>[[Image:binary-number1.png|thumb|right|220px|A series of '''binary numbers''' form a '''byte''' to represent '''numbers'''.<br>(Image licensed under [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ cc])]]</td><td>[[Image:binary-number-2.png|thumb|right|200px|'''Bytes''' can be used to also represent '''characters'''. It is job of a program to know if bytes are used to represent '''numbers ''' or '''characters'''. Learning to convert numbering systems<br>(like '''Hexadecimal to Binary''') can be used to know how a character is represented in '''binary'''. <br>(Image licensed under [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ cc])]]</td></tr></table>
''Data ... is any sequence of one or more symbols given meaning by specific act(s) of interpretation. Digital data is data that is represented using the binary number system of ones (1) and zeros (0)...''<br>
Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_(computing)<br><br>
Binary numbers are combined in a sequence to form a '''byte'''. Bytes are used to represent '''numbers''' or '''characters'''. How does the computer know which bytes represent a number or a letter? That is the job of '''computer programs ''' that are created (including operating systems and application software) to perform that task.