Why computer understands only binary?

@Kaustubh Katdare • 29 Sep, 2012 • 2 likes

pnv ganesh

why computer can understand only binary language?

That's a nice question. To understand why computers use Binary; you'll first have to understand that binary language is basically just two digits - 0 and 1. Each of these digits actually represent 'state'; let's call it 'On' and 'Off'. To understand this better in electronics; an 'on' state could be thought of as a positive voltage say '5V' and 0 would represent '0' volts. These are the two states the electronic devices can understand.

Now, the data can be represented using a series of these on and off stages. That is we can represent the information through the series of on and off states in electronics.

So visualize it as follows: The circuits themselves don't understand anything except that they can be in the on state or off states. A series of on and off signals can be used to represent data - and that's why computers understand binary code.

I'd like more inputs from the electronics and computer science engineers. I'm not sure whether I can explain this in even simpler words.

@grayhat • 29 Sep, 2012 0 and 1 is nothing but if the current is passed on the circuit is represent by 1.
and otherwise it is represent like 0,thats why computer understand only 0s and 1s

@Jeffrey Arulraj • 29 Sep, 2012 Not exactly current as the losses due to current transmission is very high and lot of heat is generated

Instead now a days we use more voltage to represent 1 and 0

Recently I heard of MOS having high rating = 1.7 V and low rating of 0V

@Jeffrey Arulraj • 29 Sep, 2012 Next your question what other form of input can you imagine of giving to a computer

If it is written in hand each of our hand writing is different and so programming becomes more tedious (data sensing ) so to have a more generalised form of Input we go for BIT representation

@Lokesh Choudhary • 10 Oct, 2018

who consider 0's and 1's as a off and on states?

@Teja Reddy • 28 Feb, 2020

In computer system all working mechanism depends on switch ON and OFF techniques to read/write data. A SWITCH ON is corresponding to 1 and OFF corresponding O. In this fashion, all data are stored in memory. Input data is converted into digital signals and passes from component to component, and in storing devices (memory or register) it is converted into binary or machine codes.

@supriya VN gowda • 28 Feb, 2020 • 1 like

Since computer is an electronic device, it works only when current passes through the circuit. For transmission of current through the circuit we need switch and switch has only two states. Which are on/off state, where 1 indicates switch on and 0 indicates switch is off. For every alphabet of English have 7 digits binary code where number seven is number of wires through which current passes when switch is on. Machine can't understand any instructions or code. It understands only binary code, so it converts all instructions to binary form for better understanding of human code.