ICT Grade 10

What are the number systems in Computer?

Number systems are the technique to represent numbers in the computer system architecture, every value that you are saving or getting into/from computer memory has a defined number system.

Computer architecture supports following number systems.

• Binary number system
• Octal number system
• Decimal number system
• Hexadecimal (hex) number system

1) Binary Number System

A Binary number system has only two digits that are 0 and 1. Every number (value) represents with 0 and 1 in this number system. The base of binary number system is 2, because it has only two digits.

2) Octal number system

Octal number system has only eight (8) digits from 0 to 7. Every number (value) represents with 0,1,2,3,4,5,6 and 7 in this number system. The base of octal number system is 8, because it has only 8 digits.

3) Decimal number system

Decimal number system has only ten (10) digits from 0 to 9. Every number (value) represents with 0,1,2,3,4,5,6, 7,8 and 9 in this number system. The base of decimal number system is 10, because it has only 10 digits.

4) Hexadecimal number system

A Hexadecimal number system has sixteen (16) alphanumeric values from 0 to 9 and A to F. Every number (value) represents with 0,1,2,3,4,5,6, 7,8,9,A,B,C,D,E and F in this number system. The base of hexadecimal number system is 16, because it has 16 alphanumeric values. Here A is 10, B is 11, C is 12, D is 13, E is 14 and F is 15.

Achira kumarasinghe

Abacus

The computer was born in the attempt to make an adding machine. In order

to add numbers, a device called Abacus, was invented around 5000 years ago.

Blaise Pascal

in 1642, Blaise Pascal invented a machine called

the Adding Machine. This was the world’s first

ever mathematical machine.

In 1674, Gottfried Wilhelm Von Leibnitz

improved the machine invented by Pascal. With

these improvements the machine was able to

perform multiplication and division too.

Joseph Jacquard

A French Scientist named Joseph Jacquard

invented a mechanical loom using Punch Card System.

Charles Babbage

Charles Babbage started to make his Analytical Engine using the Punch Card

System concept. This machine was based on the concepts input, process, output

and store. Since this concept helped in the development of the computer, Charles

Babbage is called the father of computing.

Madam Ada Augusta Lovelace

Madam Ada Augusta Lovelace is considered as the first programmer since she

tried to write programmes for the Analytical Engine.

Howard Aiken

In the year 1944, a man named Howard Aiken invented the machine called

Automatic Sequence Control Calculator at the Harvard University with the

assistance of his companions and IBM Company. This was named MARK 1.