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At the most basic level, when a computer runs an application, it follows the list of instructions you or another person has written. This list of instructions is called a program. Often programs take in or spit out data. Whether you're checking the weather or writing a paper, programs are constantly handling data.
[MUSIC]
0:00
At the most basic level, when a computer
runs an application,
0:04
it follows the list of instructions you or
another person has written.
0:08
This list of instructions is called a
program.
0:13
Often programs take in or spit out some
form of data.
0:16
Whether you're checking the weather or
writing a paper,
0:20
programs are constantly handling data.
0:22
Data [SOUND] itself is a piece or pieces
of information.
0:25
Almost all data is ultimately represented
in [SOUND] binary form.
0:29
Meaning [SOUND] data at its essence is
just a series of 0s and 1s.
0:33
[SOUND] These binary digits, 0 and 1,
0:38
can be represented easily using electrical
circuits.
0:41
A bit, which is like a switch, is either
off or on.
0:45
If the switch is off, it's a 0.
0:49
If it's on, it's a 1.
0:51
An easy way to visualize binary is on a
circuit board.
0:54
To represent 1 and 0, we use high and low
voltages to turn an LED on and off.
0:58
Let's use this Texas Instrument launch pad
for a tangible example of binary.
1:06
We're using HIGH to turn the LED on to
represent the binary 1.
1:11
And to turn the LED off, we'll use LOW or
the binary 0.
1:17
But say instead I wanted to loop it from
on to off or 1 to 0 and back again.
1:23
I might write a program that looks like
this.
1:30
Turn it on, wait for a second, turn it
off, wait for a second.
1:35
Turn it on, wait for a second, turn it
off, wait for a second.
1:41
Now, this code is using Energia, which we
don't really teach here at Treehouse.
1:46
But if you're interested, in the teacher's
notes I've linked the wiki page
1:51
that you can find on GitHub and the link
to the microcontroller I'm using.
1:56
The fundamental building blocks of a
computer is this idea of a switch,
2:01
on or off.
2:05
In a digital computer, this switch takes
the form of a transistor.
2:07
Before digital computers, they used vacuum
tubes to do this.
2:11
In order to store data or run programs, we
need to first convert the programs
2:15
into something that can actually be
performed by the physical hardware.
2:19
In most cases, this means turning the
programs we write into binary.
2:23
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