The binary system uses only the digits 0 and 1. Therefore, the ?¬?rst digit is 0, followed by
1. If a quantity higher than 1 is required, the binary system goes to 10, followed by 11. The
binary system continues with 100, 101, 110, 111, 1000, and so on. Table 4-1 shows the
binary equivalents of the decimal numbers 0 through 19.
Table 4-1 Decimal Versus Binary Numbers
Decimal Number Binary Number
0 0
1 1
2 10
3 11
4 100
5 101
6 110
7 111
8 1000
9 1001
10 1010
11 1011
12 1100
13 1101
14 1110
continues
248 Chapter 4: LAN Connections
Least Significant Bit and Most Significant Bit
Most people are accustomed to the decimal numbering system. While the base number is
important in any numbering system, it is the position of a digit that confers value. The
number 10 is represented by a 1 in the tens position and a 0 in the ones position. The number
100 is represented by a 1 in the hundreds position, a 0 in the tens position, and a 0 in the
ones position.
In a binary number, the digit on the rightmost side is the least signi?¬?cant bit (LSB), and the
digit on the leftmost side is the most signi?¬?cant bit (MSB). The signi?¬?cance of any digits in
between these sides is based on their proximity to either the LSB or the MSB.
Pages:
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356