binary system

binary system

A numbering system well suited to use by computers. All of the information placed into a computer is in binary form, i.e., numbers made up of zeros and ones (0's and 1's). In this system each place in a binary number represents a power of 2 (i.e., the number of times 2 is to be multiplied by itself).

Synonym: binary code

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binary system

any system where two alternatives occur, as in some taxonomic keys (see KEY, IDENTIFICATION).

Collins Dictionary of Biology, 3rd ed. © W. G. Hale, V. A. Saunders, J. P. Margham 2005