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But Max. Are bits real? Can I see them? |
| Well, K.N., if you mean are there tiny
0s and 1s floating around inside the circuits of your computer, the answer
is no. What does exist are off or on switches that block or send pulses of
electrical current. Bits are symbols that represent what is real, namely,
switches and currents.
As you can see in the diagram, when a switch is off (0), it blocks electrical flow and there is no pulse. However, when the switch is toggled on (1) it permits a pulse of electricity to flow along a wire. When toggled off again, it blocks the pulse. Like a form of Morse Code, it is these off/on pulses that send messages
to other parts of the computer and eventually to us. |
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As a Unit of Measure
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So what good are bits to me? |
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When it's time to buy or upgrade a computer system, T.E., you'll use bits to compare the capacities and speeds of various components. You may have to decide, for example, whether to get a 32- or 64-bit CPU, a 16- or 32-bit data bus, a 33.6 or 56 Kbps (bits per second) modem, or a 10 or 100 Mbps network connection. These measurements have a direct bearing on how fast, how well, or even if, your computer can do the job you want it to do. As the smallest unit of software, bits are the building blocks for bytes, the
next term in the Digital Dozen. |
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