This week’s topics
Binary in computer science: binary addition and overflow, two's complement and floating point
- How numbers are represented in binary
- The use of binary representation in the field of computer science
What you will be able to do
- 1.3 Explain how numbers are represented in binary.
- 1.4 Evaluate the use of binary representation in the field of computer science.
Activity
Start with this week’s 4 videos, then: Seminar, guided reading and a short written task: explain how numbers are represented in binary.
Study materials
Videos
- Binary addition · Oak National Academy, Key Stage 4 (GCSE level) · for registered students
- Binary Addition & Overflow - Computerphile · YouTube · Computerphile · 7 min · for registered students
- Binary Addition · YouTube · Neso Academy · 8 min · for registered students
- Representing Numbers and Letters with Binary: Crash Course Computer Science #4 · YouTube · CrashCourse · 11 min · for registered students
Further resources
- Contemporary Mathematics, 4.4: Addition and Subtraction in Base Systems · PDF · OpenStax Contemporary Mathematics (2023), 4.4: adding and subtracting in binary and other bases, pp. 300–314 · for registered students
- Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective, 2.1.3: Data Sizes · PDF · Bryant & O'Hallaron, CS:APP 2e manuscript sample, 2.1.3 on bits, bytes and word sizes (a step up), pp. 36–37 · for registered students
- Introduction to Python Programming, 2.2–2.4: Type conversion · PDF · OpenStax Introduction to Python Programming (2024), 2.2–2.4: type conversion, mixed data types and floating-point errors, pp. 40–48 · for registered students
- Understanding integer overflow in C/C++ · Open-access article · Dietz et al. (2012), International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE). Real-world consequences of integer overflow in programs. · for registered students
Materials marked “for registered students” open in the student portal, which is set up as soon as you receive final acceptance.
