This episode proceeds our discussion on the Basics of Digitizing Data. In bespeak to understand how computer systems work, first, you have to go back to your simple math. Let’s talk around the icons we usage to represent quantities. This illustration is a quick overview of ours counting system and also Base-10 numbering system.

You are watching: A symbol used to represent a number

Your an essential takeaways are:

Numbers and also digits room the symbols supplied to represent a quantityDigits space the numbers 0 come 9The Decimal Number device is based upon the amounts of 10Base-10 is expressed as 10 to the power of a aspect of X

Study Notes

How do we represent the variety of items?

Numbers space symbols which represent a count or quantity. We space putting focus on “symbol” and also “representation.” Humankind produced “numbers” together a kind of global language.

Early amount Identification

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We have actually a certain variety of items. These items are clocks.We desire to recognize the quantity of clocks by counting them.What did we use to count?We might use the 10 fingers on our hands to count. 1, 2, 3, 4….

The Symbol

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We require a way to interact the quantity vs. Count on our fingers or showing photos of the number of items.Let’s begin by identifying the icons we will usage in this brand-new language.We should represent some variety of counts on our fingers.Starting at the first finger, we assign the symbol: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.How execute we stand for 10?Notice the each of the number is a single symbol.Do we use a two symbol depiction of “10”?What if we provided “0”? the a solitary symbol.Redoing ours counting then, the an initial finger is 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.

In the Decimal Number System, we use the symbols: 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0.

These signs are referred to as digits.

See more: What Does C Stand For In Chemistry ? Symbols In Chemical Equations

Per the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a digit is a noun the means:

a written symbol for any type of of the numbers 0 to 9a finger or toe

Symbol to represent Quantity

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21 clocksWe understand that we compose that symbol as two digits: 21What is the pattern?

What is the number pattern?

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You deserve to break this down right into patterns:

How plenty of times perform you count 10 on your fingers? 2 times, or 2 counts that 10 clocks.What is remaining? there is 1 clock remaining.Now stop formulate a mathematics expression.2 counts that 10 is the very same as 2 x 10.1 remaining is the same as 1 x 1.We have a certain number of items. Below these items are clocks.We want to determine the amount of clocks by counting them.Show just how a decimal number is a symbol provided to represent the amount of something. Here, the symbols are clocks.Then, we begin breaking it down into positional notation.Convert that into base-10.If we have actually 2 x 10 then we can say that there room 2 tens.Using Base-10, “tens” is represented by 10 to the power of 1, as that amounts to 10.Therefore, we deserve to say 2 x 101 which equates to 20.If we have 1 x 1, then we can say there room 1 ones.Using Base-10, “ones” is represented by 10 to the strength of 0, together that equals 1.Therefore, we have the right to say 1 x 100 which amounts to 1.We just created a symbol set to represent 21 clocks.

Decimal Number mechanism Base-10

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