GCSE
Computer Science
-
Introduction to GCSE Computer Science -
1.1 Systems Architecture -
1.2 Memory and Storage -
1.3 Computer Networks, Connections and Protocols -
1.4 Network Security -
1.5 Systems Software -
1.6 Ethical, Legal, Cultural and Environmental Impacts of Digital Technology -
2.1 Algorithms -
2.2 Programming Fundamentals -
2.3 Producing Robust Programs -
2.4 Boolean Logic -
2.5 Programming Languages and Integrated Development Environments
1. Computer Systems
In this lesson, we will explore the representation of numbers, characters, images and sound in data storage. We will explore characters and how binary codes are used to represent them, how images are represented in memory, as well as the world of digital sound storage.
Data Representation in Storage
Below is a handy reference table that maps numbers from 0 to 15 into three different numeral systems: denary (decimal), binary, and hexadecimal.
| Denary | Binary | Hexadecimal |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | 0001 | 1 |
| 2 | 0010 | 2 |
| 3 | 0011 | 3 |
| 4 | 0100 | 4 |
| 5 | 0101 | 5 |
| 6 | 0110 | 6 |
| 7 | 0111 | 7 |
| 8 | 1000 | 8 |
| 9 | 1001 | 9 |
| 10 | 1010 | A |
| 11 | 1011 | B |
| 12 | 1100 | C |
| 13 | 1101 | D |
| 14 | 1110 | E |
| 15 | 1111 | F |
Continue the lesson
This section is available to learners with course access. Continue learning with Knowness to unlock the full explanation, examples, revision tools, and progress tracking.
The remaining lesson content includes further guided explanation, important learning points, and supporting interactive material designed to help you understand and revise this topic.
Unlock this topic to view the full activity, worked examples, common mistakes, and additional revision support.
More content available
Knowness lessons are structured to build understanding step by step. Create an account or upgrade your access to continue from this point.
This preview does not include the hidden lesson text, answers, explanations, or embedded interactions.
Continue learning with Knowness
Sign up to access the full lesson, predicted grades, revision tools, progress tracking, and more.
Create a free accountDenary Numbers
- Denary (decimal) is a base-10 number system used in everyday life, with digits from 0 to 9.
Binary Numbers
- Binary is a base-2 system using only 0 and 1.
- Computers use binary to store and process all data.
Hexadecimal Numbers
- Hexadecimal is a base-16 number system using digits 0–9 and letters A–F.
- It's used in computing for compactly representing binary values.
- Each numeral system can represent the same number in different formats and is useful in different contexts in computing.