Bits You Can Hold
Computers store everything as 1s and 0s. Flip the cards to count in binary, set Linux file permissions in octal, read a color as three bytes, then work out a download time the way a help desk would.
Part A. Binary with cards
Each card is worth twice the card to its right. Tap a card to flip it face up (1) or face down (0).
Binary Decimal
Now read one
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Part B. Octal: three bits per digit
Octal is base 8, so it only uses the digits 0 to 7. Three bits count from 000 to 111, which is 0 to 7, so every three bits make one octal digit. Linux uses octal for file permissions: read is worth 4, write is worth 2 and run (execute) is worth 1. Tap a card to turn a permission on or off.
Binary Octal Linux
Now read one
Each place in octal is worth 8 times the place to its right. For two digits, multiply the first by 8 and add the second.
Octal = in decimal
Part C. A color is three bytes
A web color is three bytes in hexadecimal: red, green, blue. Turn each pair into decimal: multiply the first digit by 16 and add the second (A=10 through F=15).
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Part D. The bits-and-bytes trap
Storage is measured in bytes (GB). Internet speed is measured in bits per second (Mbps). There are 8 bits in a byte.
seconds