ABSTRACT
Digital data use bits to encode information. Concepts discussed are critical to understanding the digital nature of modern computers, and therefore important for any computational thinker. Modern computers are digital because they store and process discrete rather than continuous information. In the past, analog computers processed continuous electronic waves. Information, represented in digital form, must be stored in computer memory to be processed. A computer's Central Processing Unit (CPU) performs logic operations on data. The CPU loads data from memory in order to process them, then stores the results back to memory. Information stored in RAM/DRAM is volatile and will disappear when the system is turned off. The basic way to represent data in computer memory is to use bit patterns. Numerals are symbols the people use to write down numbers. Binary numbers also use a place value system, just like decimal numbers, except the base is 2, not 10.
