The Binary Number Gallery
What is the binary number gallery?
The binary number gallery visualizes binary numbers in a portrait form.
There are 4096 portraits in the gallery. Starting at 0 through 4095. Use the teardrops at the bottom of the portrait display case to browse through all the portraits.
Each white block represents the numeral 0. And each black block represents the numeral 1.
Each portrait contains 12 square blocks. This represents binary numbers with a length of 12 digits. Therefore the largest number in the collection is 12 one's (111111111111) which is 4095 in decimal. The smallest number is 12 zero's (000000000000) which is 0 in decimal.
What is a binary number?
A binary number is a number made from one's and zero's.
For example: 101001000011
Unlike decimal numbers, where you have ten numerals to choose from (0-9), binary numbers only have two numerals (0,1) to construct a number from.
Portrait 189
This portrait represents the decimal number 189 which is 000010111101 in binary format. Each white block represents a 0 and each black block represents a 1.
The portraits are composed by starting at the top left corner which represents the left most number in the binary number, assigning a color white for 0 or black for 1. It does this for each digit in the binary number going from left to right top to bottom. The top row is all white because the 3 left most digits are 000. The bottom row is black, white, black because the right most digits are 101.
What are binary numbers used for in real life?
Binary numbers are used in all computer systems. Computing machines like laptops, smart phones, and desk tops use binary numbers to store information and to do calculations.
The binary numbers system represents on and off switches within a computer. Since computers run on electricity the one's and zero's represents high and low voltages. This is how the lowest languages of a computer system works.
