Chapter 3

Data Representation In Computers

 Units of Data Representation
When data is stored, processed, or communicated within the computer system, it is
“packed” in units.
Arranged from the smallest to the largest, the units are called bits, bytes, & words.
Bits: is abbreviated for binary digit, the smallest unit of information that can be
stored and manipulated by a computer.
A bit is represented by the numbers 1, & 0, which correspond to the states on & off,
true & false, or yes & no.
Bytes: is the collection of 8 bit.
Is the basic unit of information in a computer’s memory.
1 bit has 2 states, there are 8 bits in a byte. The possible combination is 256(2 ).
8

These combination can provides enough possible patterns to represent the entire
alphabet(A-Z/a-z), numeric digits(0,1,2,…,9), special characters(!, ?, *, …)
Bytes are calculated by raising the number 2 to various power.
Words
Bytes are combined into groups of 1 to 8 bytes called words.
Words refer to the number of bits that a computer process at once.
Typically word lengths are 8 bits, 16 bits, 32 bits & 64 bits.

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 Basic Units of Measurement
• BIT is a unit of information equivalent to the result of a choice
between only 2 possible alternatives in the binary number
system.
• BYTE is a sequence of 8 bits (enough to represent one character
of alphanumeric data) processed as a single unit for
information.
• A byte can be used to represent a single character, which can be:
• A letter
• A number
• A special character or symbol, or
• A space

Why Binary?
 ‘Why do we go for binary numbers instead of decimal
numbers?’ The reasons are as follows:
 The 1 s t reason is that the electronic & electrical
components, by their very nature, operate in a binary
mode.
Information is handled in the computer by
electronic/electrical components such as transistors,
semiconductors, wires, etc all of which can only indicate
2 states or conditions – on(1) or off(0).
 Tra n s is t o rs a re eit h er c o n d u c t in g ( 1 ) o r n o n -
conducting (0); a voltage is present (1) or absent (0) in
wire.

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 The binary number system, which has only two digits (0&1), is
most suitable for expressing the two possible states.
 The second reason is that the computer circuits only have to
handle two binary digits rather than ten decimal digits.
 This greatly simplifies the internal circuit design of computers,
resulting in less expensive & more reliable circuits.
 Finally, the binary system is used because everything that can
be done in decimal number system (addition, subtraction,
division & multiplication) can also be done in binary number
system.

 Concept of Numbering System
 Every computer stores numbers, letters, & other special
characters in a coded form.
 Before going to the details of these codes, it is essential
to have a basic understanding of the number system.
 So the goal of this topic is to familiarize you with the
basic fundamentals of number system.
 There are various number systems
Decimal
Binary
Octal
Hexadecimal

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 The Decimal Number System
• Uses number 10 as its base or radix.
• Base is def ined as the total number of digits available in the
number system
• Has 10 symbol or digits (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,9 )
• The largest single digit is 9(one less than the base)
• Uses positional notation(units, tens, hundreds, thousands,
…) for numbers greater than numbers 9

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For example, the decimal number 4 8 5 6 is equal to:

(4 * 103) + (8*102) + (5 * 101) + (6 * 100)

Thousands Hundreds Tens Ones

The weight of the nth digit of the number from the left of the decimal point is
equal to:
nth digit * 10n-1
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The weight of the nth digit of the number from the right of the decimal point is
 Binary number System
 The base or radix is 2
 Has two symbols(0&1)
 The largest single digit is 1(one less than the base)
 Each position in binary number represents a power of the base (2).
 The right most position is the units (2 ) position, the second is the
0

2`s(2 ) position, & proceeding in this way we have 4`s(2 ) position,

1 2

8`s(2 ) position, 16`s (2 ) position, & so on.

3 4

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 Example: Binary number 10101 written as ( 101012
= (1*24) + (0*23) + (1*22) + (0*21) + (1*20)
= 16 + 0 + 4 + 0 + 1
= 21
Octal Number System
 The base is 8
 There are only 8 digits: 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7
 The largest single digit is 7
 Each position on octal number represents a power of
the base(8).

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 Hexadecimal Number System
 The base is 16
 Has 16 single-character digits: 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,A,B,C,D,E,F
(The letters A to F represent numbers 10 to 15)
 Each position in the hexadecimal system represents a power of
the base(16).

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Conversion Among Bases
• The Possibilities

Decimal Octal

Binary Hexadecimal
Converting from One Number System to Another

• Converting to Decimal from another Base

Steps
• Determine the positional value of each digit & multiply the
obtained positional values by the digits in the corresponding
position.
• Sum the products calculated in step 1. The total is the
equivalent value in decimal

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Converting from Decimal to Another Base (Division Remainder Technique)

Steps
 Step 1. Divide the decimal number to be converted by the value of
the new base.
 Step 2 Record the remainder from step 1 as the rightmost digit
(least significant digit) of the new base number.
 Step 3. Divide the quotient of the previous divide by the new base.
 Step 4: Record the remainder from step 3 as the next digit (to the
left)
 Repeat step 3 & 4, recording remainder from right to left until
the quotient become zero in step 3.
 Note that the last remainder thus obtained will be the most
significant digit of the new base number.
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 Converting a Decimal Fraction to a fractional in
base B
Steps
 Step 1: Multiply the given decimal fraction by the base B.
 Step 2: Repeat step 1 using the multiplicant at each step
the remaining fraction part is identically zero, or until as
many digit as desired have been generated.
 The successive integral parts are the successive digits of
the number in base B starting from the most signif ic ant
end.

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Conversion of non-decimal base to another non-decimal base

• Step 1: Convert the original number to a decimal

number (base 10)
• Step 2: Convert the decimal number so obtained to
the new base number.

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Binary to Decimal
Example
Decimal to Binary
Example
Octal to Decimal
• Technique
Multiply each bit by 8n , wheren is the “weight” of the bit
The weight is the position of the bit, starting from 0 on the right
Add the results
Example

7248 => 4 x 80 = 4

2 x 81 = 16

7 x 82 = 448

46810
Hexadecimal to Decimal
• Technique
Multiply each bit by 16n , wheren is the “weight” of the bit
The weight is the position of the bit, starting from 0 on the right
Add the results
Example

ABC16 => C x 160 = 12 x 1 = 12

B x 161 = 11 x 16 = 176

A x 162 = 10 x 256 = 2560
274810
Octal to Binary
• Technique
Convert each octal digit to a 3-bit equivalent binary representation

Example 7058 = ?2 7 0 5


111 000 101

7058 = 1110001012
Hexadecimal to Binary
• Technique
Convert each hexadecimal digit to a 4-bit equivalent binary
representation

Decimal to Octal
• Technique
Divide by 8
Keep track of the remainder
Decimal to Hexadecimal
• Technique
Divide by 16
Keep track of the remainder
Binary to Octal
• Technique
Group bits in threes, starting on right
Convert to octal digits

Binary to Hexadecimal
• Technique
Group bits in fours, starting on right
Convert to hexadecimal digits
Octal to Hexadecimal
• Technique
Use binary as an intermediary

Hexadecimal to Octal
• Technique
Use binary as an intermediary
Exercise – Fill the blank with Converted
Hexa-

Decimal Binary Octal decimal
33
1110101
703
1AF

Don’t use a calculator!

 Arithmetic System
• During school days, arithmetic was restricted only to decimal
number system.
• However, in computer, we require arithmetic on other number
systems such as binary, octal and hexadecimal.
• Everything that is stored in or manipulated by the computer is a
number.
• The computer understands the numbers 1 and 0.
• The basic arithmetic operations of the binary number system
are: Addition and subtraction.
 Binary Addition
• Binary addition is carried out in the same way as the decimal
addition is performed. There are four outcomes or rules of the
binary addition. These are shown below:
Input Output
X Y Sum (S) Carry (R)
0 0 0 0
0 1 1 0

1 0 1 0
1 1 0 1
• Example: Add the binary numbers 1111 and 1010.
1 1 1 1
+ 1 0 1 0
• 1 1 0 0 1 Thus the binary sum is (11001) 2.


Binary Addition (2 of 2)
• Two n -bit values
Add individual bits
Propagate carries
E.g.,

1 1
10101 21

+ 11001 + 25

101110 46
 Binary Subtraction
• Subtraction is generally simple in comparison to addition since
only two numbers are involved.
• In binary subtraction the problem ‘borrow’ is similar to that in
decimal.
• If the subtracted bit is equal to or smaller than the minuend
bit, then perform subtraction, otherwise borrow one(the base 2)
from its left most neighbor.
• Find the binary difference of (1101-1011).



Binary Multiplication
• Binary, two n -bit values
• As with decimal values
• E.g.,
1110

x 1011

1110

1110

0000

1110

10011010
 Coding Methods
• Code is a group of symbols
• Code is a systematic use of a given set of symbols for representing
information
• Code: A set of n-bit strings in which different bit strings represent
different numbers or other things.
• Weighted code :- Each positions are represent specific weight
 Eg. 8 4 2 1 ,2 4 2 1
• Non-weighted code:- non positional codes
 Eg ex-3,GrayCode
• Sequential codes:- Each succeeding code is one binary numbers greater than
the preceding code. Ex 8 4 2 1 , ex-3
• Alphanumerical codes:-we can represent number, characters, symbol and
small Instruction Ex. ASCII

4-Bit Binary Coded Decimal (BCD)
Systems
• The 4-bit BCD system is usually employed by the computer
systems to represent and process numerical data only.
To represent 10 decimal digits(0000:0 ….1001: 9), at
least need 4 bits.
• (Each decimal number ((base 10 i.e 0,1,2…9)) Represent by a
4 bit Binary binary (0,1) number )
• In the 4-bit BCD system, each digit of the decimal number is
Represented to its corresponding 4-bit binary sequence.
• The two most popular 4-bit BCD systems are:
 Weighted 4-bit BCD code
 Excess-3 (XS-3) BCD code


Weighted 4-Bit BCD Code
• The weighted 4-bit BCD code is more commonly known as 8421
weighted code (pronounce eight , four , two, one ).
8421 and BCD codes are the same
• It is called weighted code because it encodes the decimal
system into binary system by using the concept of positional
weighting into consideration.
• In this code, each decimal digit is encoded into its 4-bit
binary number in which the bits from left to right have the
weights 8, 4, 2, and 1, respectively.

Weighted 4-Bit BCD Code








 Apart from 8421, some other weighted BCD codes are 4221,
2421 and 5211


Weighted 4-Bit BCD Code
• Example :- Represent the decimal number 5327 in 8421 BCD
code.
 The corresponding 4-bit 8421 BCD representation of decimal digit 5 is
0101
 The corresponding 4-bit 8421 BCD representation of decimal digit 3 is
0011
 The corresponding 4-bit 8421 BCD representation of decimal digit 2 is
0010
 The corresponding 4-bit 8421 BCD representation of decimal digit 7 is
0111
 Therefore, the 8421 BCD representation of decimal number 5327 is
0101001100100111.

Binary Coded Decimal (BCD)
Example Represent the decimal number 938 in 8421 BCD code.


8 4 2 1 8 4 2 1 8 4 2 1
1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0
8 + 0 + 0 + 1 0 + 0 + 2 + 1 8 + 0 + 0 + 0
9 3 8

• Therefore 1001 0011 1000 in BCD = 938 in denary.
Reading Assignment

 ASCII-7 and ASCII-8

 UNICODE

 One’s and two’s complement

 Representing floating point by using binary system.