Introducing Binary system is not an easy exercise at Middle school phase.
Children have quite valid concern. They are quite used to and equally comfortable with base 10 number system.
This brings lot of resistance in learning as children feel like why are we complicating the things.
While introducing Binary number system to children , when I told them that the computer only understands Yes/No (0 or 1). It was quite a surprise for them.
Yes, all of us know very well that Computer only understands Yes/No. But, when it comes to the children, they have been seeing computers doing so many things around them from such a young age that they feel that computer knows a lot.
And, then they were all hooked to learn Binary Arithmetic just to find out how Computer does
- 12 + 13
- 13 – 12
- 12 x 13
- 12 / 4
Binary Representation
How will the computer write 12 in its yes/no number system?
Once we started talking about binary representation then we realise that base 10 system is intuitively clear in their minds but they do not have clear cut understanding of the very basic concepts like place value.
In any numbers system, we have placeholders (digit holders) to hold the various digits and the base of the system decides how many digits can be held in a placeholder, once a placeholder is full, it readjusts the digits and send them to the next level.
For example, base 10 number system
Binary Addition
1100
1101
========
8421
Binary Subtraction
Binary Multiplication
Binary Division
While learning Binary number system, then we realised the loop holes in the understanding of our most favourite base 10 number system.
https://code.tutsplus.com/articles/number-systems-an-introduction-to-binary-hexadecimal-and-more–active-10848
