CHAPTER2
Data Representation in Computer Systems
There are 10 kinds of people in the world—those who understand binary and those who don’t.
—Anonymous
2.1 INTRODUCTION
The organization of any computer depends considerably on how it represents numbers, characters, and control information. The converse is also true: Standards and conventions established over the years have determined certain aspects of computer organization. This chapter describes the various ways in which computers can store and manipulate numbers and characters. The ideas presented in the following sections form the basis for understanding the organization and function of all types of digital systems.
The most basic unit of information in a digital computer is called ...
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