How the binary numeric system works

 

 

 

 

Learning how the binary numeric system works may seem like an overwhelming task, but the system itself is actually relatively easy.

The Basic Concepts of Binary Numeric Systems and Codes: 

The traditional numeric system is based on ten characters. Each one can be repeated however many times is necessarily in order to express a certain quantity or value. Binary numbers work on basically the same principle, but instead of ten characters they make use of only two. The characters of “1” and “0” can be combined to express all the same values as their more traditional counterparts.

With only two characters in use, the combination of them can seem a bit more awkward than a conventional numeric system. With each character only able to represent a basic “on” or “off” in the position that it occupies, they can still be combined, just like conventional numbers that hold a certain place within a numeric expression, in such a way that they will represent any number that is needed to complete an expression, sequence or equation.

  
Electronic Memory Storage and Binary Numbers:

Electronic data storage, like that used in computers or similar devices, operates based on minute electrical and magnetic charges. The challenge of converting this principle into a workable way to express numbers reveals the advantage offered by a numeric system based on the simple concept of “on” or “off”. Each individual character is called a bit, and will be either a “1” or a “0” depending on the presence or absence of an electromagnetic charge.

While unwieldy for use with any system other than a computational device capable of reading and making use of the numbers at terrific speeds, this system is ideal for electronic and computational devices. Used in far more than just your personal computer, the binary numeric system is at the heart of any number of electronic devices that possesses even a simplistic degree of sophistication. Learning more about this system and its uses can hold plenty of advantages for programmers, students of mathematics and anyone with a keen interest to learn more about the world around them.

 
Binary Numeric System Uses:

The first computers were analog machines that did not need electricity to function. Even so, they were able to make effective use of the earliest practical examples of the binary numeric system. The addition of electricity to their capacities and the use of primitive components like vacuum tubes allowed for the earliest generation of computers to advance rapidly in terms of applications and performance.

What is binary code, the history behind it and popular uses

  

  

            All computer language is based in binary code. It is the back end of all computer functioning. Binary numbers means that there is a code of either 0 or 1 for a computer to toggle between. All computer functions will rapidly toggle between 00 or 01 at an incomprehensible speed. This is how computers have come to assist humans in tasks that would take so much longer to complete. The human brain functions holistically at much more rapid speeds than a computer in doing other types of very complicated tasks, such as reasoning and analytical thought processes.The code in a computer language, with regard to text that a central processing unit or CPU of a computer will read, is based in ASCII strings that are standardized with strings of zeros and ones that represent each letter of the alphabet or numbers. ASCII stands for American Standard Code Information Interchange, which is a standard of 7 bit binary codes that will translate into computer logic to represent text, letters and symbols that humans will recognize. There are from 0 to 127 numbers or letters represented in the ASCII system.

              Each binary string has eight binary bits that will look like a bunch of zeros and ones in a certain pattern unique for each letter of a word. With this type of code, 256 different possible values can be represented for the large group of symbols, letters and operating instructions that can be given to the mainframe. From these codes are derived character strings and then bit strings. Bit strings can represent decimal numbers.

           The binary numbers can be found in the great Vedic literatures, the shastras, written in the first language of mankind, Sanskrit, more specifically located in the ChandahSutra and originally committed to text by Pingala around the 4th Century. This is an estimation, as Sanskrit was a language that was only sung many years before mankind had a need to write on paper. Before the need to write on paper, mankind had highly developed memory and so the need to write was not even part of life at that time.

        Counterintuitively or surprisingly, in more modern historical documents it is noted that mankind has progressed beyond Sanskrit. There were no written texts as important information was recited verbally. There were no textbooks prior to the creation of binary code, as they were not required. According to the Shastras, mankind became less fortunate and the memory began to decline, requiring texts and books to be created for keeping track of important information. Once this was a necessity, the binary code was first traced to these great texts and then long after that, around the 17th century, the great philosopher and father of Calculus, Gottfried Leibniz derived a system of logic for verbal statements that would be completely represented in a mathematical code. He was theorizing that life could be reduced to simple codes of rows of combinations of zeros and ones. Not actually knowing what this system would be used for, eventually, with the help of George Boole, Boolean logic was developed, using the on/off system of zeros and ones for basic algebraic operations. The on or off codes can rapidly be implemented by computers for doing seemingly unlimited numbers of applications. All computer language is based in the binary system of logic.

What is Nanotechnology?

The scientific field of nanotechnology is still evolving, and there doesn’t seem to be one definition that everybody agrees on. It is known that nano deals with matter on a very small scale: larger than atoms but smaller than a breadcrumb. It is also known that matter at the nano scale can behave differently than bulk matter. Beyond that, individuals and groups focus on different aspects of nanotechnology.
Here are a few definitions of nanotechnology for your consideration.
The following definition is probably the most barebones and generally agreed upon:

Nanotechnology is the study and use of structures between 1 nanometer (nm) and 100 nanometers in size. To put these measurements in perspective, you would have to stack 1 billion nanometer-sized particles on top of each other to reach the height of a 1-meter-high (about 3-feet 3-inches-high) hall table. Another popular comparison is that you can fit about 80,000 nanometers in the width of a single human hair.
The next definition is from the Foresight Institute and adds a mention of the various fields of science that come into play with nanotechnology:

Structures, devices, and systems having novel properties and functions due to the arrangement of their atoms on the 1 to 100 nanometer scale. Many fields of endeavor contribute to nanotechnology, including molecular physics, materials science, chemistry, biology, computer science, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering.

  The European Commission offers the following definition, which both repeats the fact mentioned in the previous definition that materials at the nanoscale have novel properties, and positions nano vis-à-vis its potential in the economic marketplace:
Nanotechnology is the study of phenomena and fine-tuning of materials at atomic, molecular and macromolecular scales, where properties differ significantly from those at a larger scale. Products based on nanotechnology are already in use and analysts expect markets to grow by hundreds of billions of euros during this decade.

  This next definition from the National Nanotechnology Initiative adds the fact that nanotechnology involves certain activities, such as measuring and manipulating nanoscale matter:
 Nanotechnology is the understanding and control of matter at dimensions between approximately 1 and 100 nanometers, where unique phenomena enable novel applications. Encompassing nanoscale science, engineering, and technology, nanotechnology involves imaging, measuring, modeling, and manipulating matter at this length scale

 The last definition is from Thomas Theis, director of physical sciences at the IBM Watson Research Center. It offers a broader and interesting perspective of the role and value of nanotechnology in our world:
[Nanotechnology is] an upcoming economic, business, and social phenomenon. Nano-advocates argue it will revolutionize the way we live, work and communicate.

During the Middle Ages, philosophers attempted to transmute base materials into gold in a process called alchemy. While their efforts proved fruitless, the pseudoscience alchemy paved the way to the real science of chemistry. Through chemistry, we learned more about the world around us, including the fact that all matter is composed of atoms. The types of atoms and the way those atoms join together determines a substance's properties.

Nanotechnology is a multidisciplinary science that looks at how we can manipulate matter at the molecular and atomic level. To do this, we must work on the nanoscale -- a scale so small that we can't see it with a light microscope. In fact, one nanometer is just one-billionth of a meter in size. Atoms are smaller still. It's difficult to quantify an atom's size -- they don't tend to hold a particular shape. But in general, a typical atom is about one-tenth of a nanometer in diameter.

Bubble-pen lithography allows researchers to create nanodevices

 

 Researchers at the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin have developed a device and technique called bubble-pen lithography, which can handle nanoparticles, tiny pieces of gold, silicon and other materials used in nanomanufacturing, without damaging them. The method uses microbubbles to inscribe nanoparticles onto a surface.

Using microbubbles, the technique allows researchers to quickly, gently and precisely handle the tiny particles to more easily build tiny machines, biomedical sensors, optical computers, solar panels and other devices. This advanced control is key to harnessing the properties of the nanoparticles.

Using their bubble-pen device, the researchers focus a laser underneath a sheet of gold nanoislands to generate a hotspot that creates a microbubble out of vaporised water. The bubble attracts and captures a nanoparticle through a combination of gas pressure, thermal and surface tension, surface adhesion and convection. The laser then steers the microbubble to move the nanoparticle to a site on the surface. When the laser is turned off, the microbubble disappears, leaving the particle on the surface. If necessary, the researchers can expand or reduce the size of the microbubble by increasing or decreasing the laser beam's power.

"The ability to control a single nanoparticle and fix it to a substrate without damaging it could open up great opportunities for the creation of new materials and devices," assistant professor, Yuebing Zheng said. "The capability of arranging the particles will help to advance a class of materials, known as metamaterials, with properties and functions that do not exist in current natural materials."

According to Prof Zheng, bubble-pen lithography can leverage a design software program in the same way as a 3D printer, so it can deposit nanoparticles in real time in a pre-programmed pattern or design. The researchers were able to write the UT Austin Longhorn symbol and create a dome shape out of nanoparticle beads.

In comparison to other existing lithography methods, bubble-pen lithography has several advantages, Prof Zheng says. First, the technique can be used to test prototypes and ideas for devices and materials more quickly. Second, the technique has the potential for large-scale, low-cost manufacturing of nanomaterials and devices. Other lithography techniques require more resources and a clean room environment.

Prof Zheng hopes to advance bubble-pen lithography by developing a multiple-beam processing technique for industrial-level production of nanomaterials and nanodevices. He is also planning to develop a portable version of the technique that works like a mobile phone for use in prototyping.

Author
Tom Austin-Morgan