← Years 5–6 Data & Information

Bits and the binary digits 0 and 1

A bit is a single binary digit that is either 0 or 1, like a switch that is off (0) or on (1). A group of 8 bits is called a byte.

Part of: 5-6 Digital Technologies Vic Curric - Data, Information and Privacy — Module 6, 7-8 Digital Technologies: Representing data with binary — Module 5, 9-10 Digital Technologies: Data compression — Module 3, IGCSE Computer Science 0478 — 1.1 Number Systems — Module 2, IGCSE Computer Science 0478 — 1.3 Data Storage and Compression — Module 1, IGCSE Computer Science 0478 — 2.1 Data Transmission Types and Methods — Module 1, IGCSE Computer Science 0478 — 10 Boolean Logic — Module 1, ACARA Digital Technologies Years 5–6 — Representing Data with Numbers — Module 4, ACARA Digital Technologies Years 7–8 — Representing Text, Images and Sound — Module 3, ACARA Digital Technologies Years 7–8 — Binary Number Representation — Module 3

Understanding Bits and the binary digits 0 and 1 in Years 5–6 Data & Information

What it does: This code has 8 binary digits, so it shows one byte made of 8 bits. The variable bit holds just one binary digit, and 1 is one of the two allowed values. A bit is a single binary digit, so it can only be 0 or 1. In binary, 1 means on and 0 means off. 0 is off. A bit is like a switch that is either off (0) or on (1). A byte is a group of 8 bits. 01101001 has 8 bits, so it is a byte. 0110 only has 4 bits. A bit has two states, 0 (off) and 1 (on), just like a switch.

Common mistakes: A bit of 1 means on, so when bit == 1 the program should print "on", not "off". A bit can only be 0 or 1. The 2 is not a bit, so it should be bits = [0, 1, 1, 0].

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 1–10) and word search (Modules 1–20).

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Learning
Duo
A bit can be which of these?
Any number from 0 to 9Either 0 or 1
Matches
bit = 2
↓
A bit can only be 0 or 1, so 2 is not a valid bit. It should be bit = 0 or bit = 1.
Applying
Meanings
Term
bit
Meaning
A bit is a single binary digit that is either 0 or 1, like a switch that is off (0) or on (1). A group of 8 bits is called a byte.
Practice
bit = 0 means off
Testing
Gaps
A is either 0 or 1
Check Answer
Spots
2if bit == 1:
3 print("off")

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Quick Questions

1. A bit can be which of these?
A. Either 0 or 1 ✓
B. Any number from 0 to 9
A bit is a single binary digit, so it can only be 0 or 1.
2. Which switch position matches the bit 1?
A. Off
B. On ✓
In binary, 1 means on and 0 means off.
3. Which switch position matches the bit 0?
A. Off ✓
B. On
0 is off. A bit is like a switch that is either off (0) or on (1).
4. Which one is a single bit?
A. 7
B. 1 ✓
A bit can only be 0 or 1. The digit 7 is not a binary digit.
5. How many bits are in a byte?
A. 8 bits ✓
B. 2 bits
A byte is a group of 8 bits.

Match the Pairs

1 → A bit that is on
0 → A bit that is off
A byte is a group of 8 bits → 01101001
A single bit can only be 0 or 1 → bit = 1
bit = 2 → A bit can only be 0 or 1, so 2 is not a valid bit. It should be bit = 0 or bit = 1.
byte = 0110 → A byte has 8 bits, but this has only 4. It needs 8 digits, like 01100110.

Key Term

bit
A bit is a single binary digit that is either 0 or 1, like a switch that is off (0) or on (1). A group of 8 bits is called a byte.

Fill in the Blanks

1. A bit is either 0 or 1
Hint: Type the word for a single binary digit.
2. 1 byte = 8 bits
Hint: Type the number of bits that make up one byte.
3. 0 means off, 1 means on
Hint: Type the binary digit that stands for on.
4. 0 means off, 1 means on
Hint: Type the switch state that the digit 0 stands for.
5. 8 bits make 1 byte
Hint: Type the name for a group of 8 bits.

Spot the Error

Question 1
A bit = 1
B if bit == 1:
C print("off")
D else:
E print("off")
Line C — A bit of 1 means on, so when bit == 1 the program should print "on", not "off".
Question 2
A bits = [0, 1, 2, 0]
B for b in bits:
C print(b)
Line A — A bit can only be 0 or 1. The 2 is not a bit, so it should be bits = [0, 1, 1, 0].
Question 3
A size = 8
B byte = [1,0,1,1,0,0,1]
C print(len(byte) == size)
Line B — A byte is a group of 8 bits. This list only has 7 bits, so one more bit is needed to make a byte.
Question 4
A bits = [1, 0, 1]
B total = 0
C for b in bits:
D total = total + bits
Line D — Inside the loop we add one bit at a time to count the ones. It should be total = total + b, not the whole list.
Question 5
A bytes = 2
B bits_per_byte = 8
C bits = bytes * bits_per_byte
D print("Total bits:" bits)
Line D — A comma is missing between the text and the variable. It should be print("Total bits:", bits).

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