Binary number system, in mathematics, is a positional numeral system employing 2 as the base and so requiring only two different symbols for its digits, 0 and 1, instead of the usual 10 different symbols needed in the decimal system. The numbers from 0 to 10 are thus in binary 0, 1, 10, 11, 100, 101, 110, 111, 1000, 1001, and 1010. The importance of the binary system to information theory and computer technology derives mainly from the compact and reliable manner in which 0s and 1s can be represented in electromechanical devices with two states.
Decimal system, also called the Hindu-Arabic number system or Arabic number system, in mathematics, is a positional numeral system employing 10 as the base and requiring 10 different numerals, the digits 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. It also requires a dot (decimal point) to represent decimal fractions. In this scheme, the numerals used in denoting a number take different place values depending upon position. In a base-10 system the number 543.21 represents the sum (5 × 102) + (4 × 101) + (3 × 100) + (2 × 10−1) + (1 × 10−2).
This number system, with its associated arithmetic algorithms, has furnished the basis for the development of Western commerce and science since its introduction to the West in the 12th century CE.
Byte is the basic unit of information in computer storage and processing. A byte consists of 8 adjacent binary digits, each of which consists of a 0 or 1. There were four- or six-bit bytes, but eventually, the standard settled on eight bits. The string of bits making up a byte is processed as a unit by a computer; bytes are the smallest operable units of storage in computer technology. A byte can represent the equivalent of a single character, such as the letter B, a comma, or a percentage sign, or it can represent a number from 0 to 255. Because a byte contains so little information, the processing and storage capacities of computer hardware are usually given in gigabytes.
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