Thursday 7th June: LI: We are learning about how data in computers is stored and transmitted. SC: I can represent ordinary numbers by only using a series of 0s and 1s.
How can we store information in computers? The word “computer” comes from the Latin word computare, which means to calculate or add together. But, computers today are more than just giant calculators. They can be a library, help us to write, find information for us, play music, and even show movies. So, how do they store all this information? Believe it or not, the computer uses only two things: 0 and 1!
What is the difference between data and information? Data are the raw material, the numbers that computers work with. A computer converts its data into information (words, numbers and pictures) that you and I can understand.
How can numbers, letters, words, and pictures be converted into 0’s and 1’s? Let’s learn how 0’s and 1’s operate in the binary number system, and how computers interpret these data systems to do work and represent information.
Let’s explore how binary numbers work. You will need to have printed Large Binary number cards for this task (or could draw these dots on mini whiteboards)
Page 3 takes you through each step of how to do this. (I recommend you have watched the youtube clip explaining how to do this first - see left). I also suggest printing p. 3 to follow along while teaching.
Student Learning Task: TASK 1: You are going to work with a clock partner to complete Worksheet 1 “Binary Numbers” (hand out page 5). This task allows you to practise converting normal numbers into binary form. We will look at the first example together.
After a while, go through answers together. (answers are onpage 6 )
TASK 2:You are going to work with a different clock partner to complete Worksheet 2 “What’s the Number?”
Before we start, let’s review the range of numbers that can be represented by 5 bits (0 to 31). In some cases the computer might store more or less than 5 bits. For example, it’s common to use 8 bits together. This is known as a byte. For smaller numbers, we might want to use less than 5 bits. Or to save space, data might be stored as onlyone bit (e.g., 0 can mean false and 1 can mean true).
For this activity, you are going to challenge your partner to represent a given number using 5-bit binary (includes the leading 0s). Then, you will determine whether all 5 bits are needed, or if the number might be represented