Those 0s and 1s. Question for Computer folk.

[Diesel]

Long time ago, I learned that binary code composed of nothing but 0s and 1s (on and off).

Well, what happens if you add in another digit (i.e. another dimension)?

second question...

Will there every be m-ram (magnetic ram)? Supposidely magnetic ram would allow more memory?

[ATLSmith]

Oh boy, it would take a few pages to explain everything behind binary

Basically it has to do with electricity. There's either an electron there or there isn't. The switch is either ON or OFF.

Your CPU is comprised of billions of tiny circuites called call "Boolean Gates". There are AND, OR, X-OR, NOR, and NAND gates to name the common ones. Electrons travel through these gates and, depending on what gates they go through, the result is either a 1 or a 0 (ON or OFF). The result is written to the CPU's internal memory, also known as its "registry". All of this combined allows your CPU to do basic math. Because there are so many gates in modern compuers, it can do many simultaneous calculations a second.

Here's a good descriptoin of boolean logic:

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/boolean1.htm

The next step up from Binary is Assembly code. With Assembly, you can tell the CPU what registries to look in for your inital values, what to do with the values, and where to output. Assembly lies behind all modern programming languages out there today.

Okay, its been about 5 to 6 years since I studied this stuff, but I hope this helps some. You may want to pick up a book if you are realy interested.

That's an interesting idea about a 3rd state. What you you call it though? On, Off, and Maybe? I'm not sure if it is possible, maybe with Quantum computing where a state can exist in two paces at once. This is the reason why Quantum computers will be incredibly fast. Imagine an internet where the web page basically exists on the server and your computer at the same time. Instantaneous transmission of data.

I don't know much about m-ram or if it will come to market. But if more RAM is what you're looking for, the wait may not be far off. Check this out.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080...-8gb-dimms.html

Sorry if I rambled on here. I'm a little bored at work today.

[Diesel]

Quote:

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Oh boy, it would take a few pages to explain everything behind binary

Basically it has to do with electricity. There's either an electron there or there isn't. The switch is either ON or OFF.

Your CPU is comprised of billions of tiny circuites called call "Boolean Gates". There are AND, OR, X-OR, NOR, and NAND gates to name the common ones. Electrons travel through these gates and, depending on what gates they go through, the result is either a 1 or a 0 (ON or OFF). The result is written to the CPU's internal memory, also known as its "registry". All of this combined allows your CPU to do basic math. Because there are so many gates in modern compuers, it can do many simultaneous calculations a second.

Here's a good descriptoin of boolean logic:

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/boolean1.htm

The next step up from Binary is Assembly code. With Assembly, you can tell the CPU what registries to look in for your inital values, what to do with the values, and where to output. Assembly lies behind all modern programming languages out there today.

Okay, its been about 5 to 6 years since I studied this stuff, but I hope this helps some. You may want to pick up a book if you are realy interested.

That's an interesting idea about a 3rd state. What you you call it though? On, Off, and Maybe? I'm not sure if it is possible, maybe with Quantum computing where a state can exist in two paces at once. This is the reason why Quantum computers will be incredibly fast. Imagine an internet where the web page basically exists on the server and your computer at the same time. Instantaneous transmission of data.

I don't know much about m-ram or if it will come to market. But if more RAM is what you're looking for, the wait may not be far off. Check this out.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080...-8gb-dimms.html

Sorry if I rambled on here. I'm a little bored at work today.

I was watching the History channel and they were talking about magnets and one of their discussions was m-ram which was supposed to be in the pike and would allow for users to have more ram.... sorta like you were saying about quantum computing. Then they started talking about plastic magnets which could be even faster because they could be controlled by light? Anyway, I think the m-ram is a bit closer...

Moreover, the possibility of computing with just on or off has always struck me as "the first level". There's got to be a dimmer switch in code that allows you to adjust.

[Admin]

I read an article a few years back that said within 10 years we will be able to store data in free space, just out there in the air and it would supply limitless storage and immediate access anywhere. They said in the article that the technology is based upon the belief that people store information outside of our brains already and that people who have "psychic" abilities are much more able to access that information as well as how twins are able to "sense" things about the other from hundreds of miles apart. It's pretty interesting stuff. Just how far we have come in the last 5 years I can only imagine where we will be in the next 10.

[ATLSmith]

Dofan, I remember reading something like that. The article talked about experiments where the scientists were able to have a subatomic particle (I can't remember what type) exist in two places at once. Whatever they did to the one would happen to the other at the same instant. This is decades away from coming to the commercial market.

Diesel, I agree that we are still in the infancy of computing. I've been around computers most of my life and its amazing how far they have progressed in such a short time. I can only imagine what things will be like in 30 to 50 years.

By the way, it looks like Quantum computing will be the answer to your question about multiple states. From Wikipedia: "A classical computer has a memory made up of bits, where each bit holds either a one or a zero. A quantum computer maintains a sequence of qubits. A single qubit can hold a one, a zero, or, crucially, a quantum superposition of these, allowing for an infinite number of states. A quantum computer operates by manipulating those qubits with (possibly a suite of) quantum logic gates."