ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces methods of representing numerical data in binary. It is essential that the designer is familiar with fundamental coding techniques, as the form in which information is represented has significant influence on the design, performance and reliability of a digital system. Information is all about numbers. A number is a label with a unique meaning, and the chapter examines ways of representing information. Quite often a digital circuit is used in a control system where the position of an object has to be measured. When large amounts of data are being generated and processed in a digital system, there is always the possibility of some bits being corrupted. An error correcting parity check on each data word can take a considerable amount of time. It also requires a significant increase in the number of bits needed to transmit a given amount of information.
