h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Binary Digits - A4249460
Author: Arkansawyer - U1376522

This is the first Guide Entry that I have written. It may become disqualified before it's out the door due to the fact that I did publish it elsewhere online first (as referenced in the entry), but I looked around the Guide and didn't find a good entry explaining 'bits' in everyday terms - which was the point of this article, and so I thought I'd 'clean it up' and submit it.

Hi Arkansawyer

I really like this entry - on a first read-through it looks excellent, and it certainly explains an important concept, but the publishing elsewhere thing might be an issue, though I must say I'm really not sure. We do prefer original submissions on h2g2, since we are operated under the wing of the BBC, and according to the BBC's <./>Terms</.> & Conditions, when you submit anything to the site you're giving the BBC the non-exclusive rights to your contribution. This is okay as long as it isn't copyrighted by anything else - but seeing as it was only previously published on your own blog, I can't see that there would be any reason why your work would come under question. So as long as you're okay with that, and no other corporation or website has the copyright to your work (and AFAIK Blogger doesn't) then there's nothing wrong with having it there first.

I hope that made sense.

It may be worth noting that 'decimal math' is more properly referred to as base ten.

This is good, and really well written.

However, I would disagree with the imnplications behind "early designers and programmers came up with a way to simplify the logic" - binary code was around long before computers.

The binary system was documented by Leibniz around 1670, but possibly used in India hundreds of years before that.

The 'base 10' and 'leibniz' references are both true... in my writing, I may have over-simplified the subject somewhat. I was actually trying to put it into layman's terms that my 11 year old son, or relatively computer illiterate relations, could grasp. In this day of pretty windows interfaces and GUI's, the fundamentals of 'how it works' are not being taught to everyday users.... As a new user, for about $300 (US) I can go buy a new Dell and be building web pages and things within a few days without ever having had an ounce of training or background in computers. This is a good thing... but... as for my son - I want him to understand the basics... and this was a step in that direction.

Very commendable. I once worked with a girl who had a degree in computer science but couldn't explain what binary was . And as for the geeks who thought they'd reached the limits of computer nirvana 'cos they knew Unix, but didn't have a clue what the little slab of rock at the centre was for...

Something else occurred to me - perhaps you could specifically state (where you say "start over" or thereabouts) that instead of the the decimal "columns" of 1, 10, 100, you get the binary 1, 2, 4, 8. (we lernt by collumms at our skool)

There's a brief section on binary here A600427 but I think this one goes further and adds extra information, and could possibly include even more info, although not being a mathemetician or mathematical/computer historian, I wouldn't know quite what. I'm very surprised to find that we don't have an edited entry about base two so well done for spotting a gap that needs to be filled

On a matter of grammar - the word 'simple' and its derivatives are used far too many times in the opening couple of paragraphs, and a computer can't really be called 'simplistic'. Simplistic means 'The tendency to oversimplify an issue or a problem by ignoring complexities or complications' (dictionary.com), and that's something that only people do - garbage in garbage out

The link to your blog is unnecessary, and it also squashes the text up against the left hand side of the frame since it doesn't wrap in the data entry box. If you take it out the entry will be much easier to read.

I made some modifications to the original entry based on the comments here... All of the points given so far were valid and I do appeciate the feedback! Even if this doesn't become an 'edited' entry, it has still been a good exercise.

I am thinking about how to word DaveBlackeye's suggestion on columns. I think it's a good point.. I am just not sure how to present it. I remember, now that it was pointed out, the ten's column, the hundred's column, etc.... but I've slept since then .. I'll have to think about it a little bit.

okay.. finally had the time to figure out how to add the reference to columns... that was a good suggestion - I just wasn't quite sure how to make it fit in... any other thoughts?

A couple:

"early electronic computers were fairly complex"
Compared to today's computers they were actually quite simple, but I think I know what you're getting at. It could be worded better along the lines of 'early electronic computers were complicated-looking structures that consumed much floorspace'.

"In order to pass instructions to the computer... *snip* ...to simplify the task of delivering instructions to the computer"
Instructions are being given to the computer twice there.

"how numbers were calculated"
Numbers themselves aren't calculated. Do you mean 'how solutions were calculated' or 'how numbers were represented'... or both?

Nicely done

I found it simpler to get the concept through to my kids by using the values of the columns for adding up.

So.

11111 if you write numbers above the columns (from the right) 124816

you get

16 8 4 2 1
1 1 1 1 1

which can then be added up to give 31 so 11111 (base2) =31 (base10)

Hi Arkansawyer -

Just wanted to say that you've explained it very well. I think a lot of people get turned off thinking "but what's all this TRUE and FALSE business about then?" Some people can get tongue-tied when trying to explain it and make matters worse too! I feel someone with no prior knowlege could read this and get it straight off though.

I made some minor changes in response to the commentary i have received so far... thanks for all the feedback!

I think this is great. Talking about 11-year-olds, I've just been explaining binary to my 11-year-old (because he asked - good kid), and what you've written here I would certainly expect him to grasp. Having said that, it's not written in a "primary school kids" kind of way, it's just simply put.

Well done.

I may say this a tad too much, but its because i mean it. I really really like this piece. Really

Yes, it is good. Very good indeed. I prefer a different way of understanding it but clearly different people will 'get it' through different means.

Only one problem: though I love your joke at the end, h2g2 frowns upon first person references. See if you can re-word the end so that you don't say 'I' or 'my', and then you'll be laughing from your seat at the Edited Guide table.

I'm learning here.... =) I made the suggested change.. I've been considering some other ideas that kinda go with this article but are off-topic for it, so soon I'll try another post that might become a 'related topic'... but I'll save that for another day.

By other 'post', do you mean other Entry?

If so, I think this is ready.

I realize h2g2 is not really a "blogging" site, but I tend to think of "entries" as "posts" and will try to keep the terms seperated in the future. But, to answer your question, yes, another "entry". I have been quite busy in the last few weeks, but as soon as I can put some thought to it, and start to write a little more, maybe I'll tackle the bit about (no pun intended) bytes, and ASCII, and how bits (that is, ones and zeros) can possibly represent textual characters, in everyday words that anyone can understand. Bits and pieces of these thoughts are represented elsewhere on H2G2, but to break it down to how it works is not. It is these thoughts that I was thinking could become another entry (aka post). I'd say I am done with this one, unless anyone has any more feedback.

Your Guide Entry has just been picked from Peer Review by one of our Scouts, and is now heading off into the Editorial Process, which ends with publication in the Edited Guide. We've therefore moved this Review Conversation out of Peer Review and to the entry itself.

If you'd like to know what happens now, check out the page on 'What Happens after your Entry has been Recommended?' at EditedGuide-Process. We hope this explains everything.

Thanks for contributing to the Edited Guide!