← Back to the activity

Grade 6 Computer Science — Bits and binary numbers

Read a binary number using the place values 1, 2, 4 and 8, and write a small ordinary number in binary.

Name: ________________________

Before you start

Move along the line and count in ones. Every time you pass 1, 2, 4, 8 or 16 you are passing a place value that binary uses as a column.

0246810121416

Those five landmarks are the only numbers binary needs a single 1 to write: 1, 10, 100, 1000, 10000.

  1. 1.The binary places are 1, 2, 4, 8 reading from the right. What is the binary number "1110" as an ordinary number?

  2. 2.Write the ordinary number 12 in binary, using only 0s and 1s.

  3. 3.Which of these is the ordinary number 9 written in binary?

    • a) 1100
    • b) 1001
    • c) 1010
    • d) 110

  4. 4.The binary places are 1, 2, 4, 8 reading from the right. What is the binary number "110" as an ordinary number?

  5. 5.The binary places are 1, 2, 4, 8 reading from the right. What is the binary number "1011" as an ordinary number?

  6. 6.Write the ordinary number 5 in binary, using only 0s and 1s.

  7. 7.Put these binary numbers in order, smallest first.

    • 111
    • 100
    • 11
    • 10
    • 1

  8. 8.How many different values can a single bit hold?

    • a) 1
    • b) 10
    • c) 8
    • d) 2

Answer key — Grade 6 Computer Science — Bits and binary numbers

  1. 1. 14
  2. 2. 1100
  3. 3. b) 1001
  4. 4. 6
  5. 5. 11
  6. 6. 101
  7. 7. 1. 1 2. 10 3. 11 4. 100 5. 111
  8. 8. d) 2