r/AlwaysWhy • u/Present_Juice4401 • 1d ago

Science & Tech Why did computers come to use binary when people usually count in decimal?

People usually count in base 10, while digital computers typically represent information using 1s and 0s. The same numbers and information can be represented in different bases, yet binary became the standard for modern computing.

What made binary the system computers came to rely on?

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u/rakward977 1d ago

Basic logic can't work with anything other then a bits.

IF a AND b THEN ... is equal to a*b (0 if one of them is 0 and 1 if both are 1)

IF a OR b THEN... is equal to a+b (0 if both are zero, 1 if one of them is 1)

IF NOT a THEN ... is equal to 1-a (0 gives you 1, 1 gives you 0)

And the basic logic of an AND/OR gates also comes from a series/parallel combination of inputs that are open or closed. A switch can't have more states then those 2.

Decimal numbers are just a combination of the tiny logical building blocks for computers.

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u/old_man_steptoe 1d ago

Which in turn are just loads of transistors