I'm curious about why computers specifically use binary code, which consists of 0s and 1s. Why can't we use other symbols like A and B, numbers like 3 and 8, or even completely different things like emojis, sounds, or even physical actions (like eye blinks)? If I decided to use 3 for 'on' and 8 for 'off', or some other combination, would it still work in the same way? I want to understand if binary is just the simplest option or if it has to be this way for practical reasons. Could we theoretically use any symbols, and would that actually function as well as binary in practice?
1 Answer
You can technically use any symbols to represent "on" and "off"—for example, you could use A and B or 3 and 8. However, what really matters is how we implement these symbols in a digital system. At the hardware level, it's all about whether electricity is flowing (on) or not flowing (off). So whether we call it 1 or 8 doesn’t change the fact that one represents an active state and the other an inactive state. It’s just easier to stick with 0 and 1 because it simplifies operations and mathematics.
Exactly! It's all about consistency and making it easy for machines to process information. If you switched to another system, you'd still need to create a map for those symbols to maintain the logic of operations.