can anyone direct me to explanations of binary numbers for kids?

[megletthesecond]

It needs to be thicky level of explanation because I need to understand them before I read a kids computing book with 9yo ds.

Does anyone know of any clever YouTube vids about binary numbers? Thanks.

[RaisingSteam]

Try Tom Lehrer's New Math on YouTube, there is one with an animation. Explains Base 8 anyway and slightly sick humour appeals to children!

Geek joke - there are 10 types of people in the world , those who understand binary and those who don't.

[ILeaveTheRoomForTwoMinutes]

OK just checked, I may have missed a 0 on an A right at the end but, if you've got that far you should get the jist of it!

[ILeaveTheRoomForTwoMinutes]

should be a letter, will check the rest.

It's not a great message

[thecatfromjapan]

ilove - is your first packet a symbol or a letter? If it's a letter, I think youo might want to check it.

[megletthesecond]

ileave I'm working on your message. I need some time to sit down and figure it out.

[ILeaveTheRoomForTwoMinutes]

No MummySparkle they are letters.

It's a message if anyone can be bothered to work it out I'm so sad

[CrotchetQuaverMinim]

yes, say ones and zeroes, if you want to describe what the number looks like on paper, or just say the number normally - because after all, it is still a representation of the concept of that number! It's only the written form that is different. (Of course, our language is largely constructed around base 10 in the way the words for the numbers are created, but that's a slightly separate issue - not all languages work quite the same way).

[megletthesecond]

One more question. When I say a binary number I have to use ones and zero's don't I?

DS (who now gets it too) was saying 10 in binary was "one thousand and ten" but I think it should be "one zero one zero"?

[MummySparkle]

I'm guessing that's not how old you are leave the room...

[ILeaveTheRoomForTwoMinutes]

Oh yy I'm pleased I get that joke now too

[ILeaveTheRoomForTwoMinutes]

00100100110100000001100111010000001101010011101000101000110100101101000100000101000010110010000010000001000100010110100



Well that took a long fucking time!

I've previously played with binary using and app.

But I found doing that ^ sadly an enjoyable achievement

[CrotchetQuaverMinim]

[megletthesecond]

crochet you have no idea how happy I am to finally get that joke .

[MummySparkle]

I am 1101 too!

DS is 11 and DD is 1

I friggin love binary!

[CrotchetQuaverMinim]

And of course, there's that well-known joke printed on t-shirts /mugs etc:

There are 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary, and those who don't.

It's perfect because it works whether you read it in base 10 or binary.

[Ramaani]

Ok ok - I read it backwards! Explanation is still true!

[thecatfromjapan]

To come late to the party - and to lower the tone a bit: whenever I teach this to children, I deploy chocolate.

I draw lots of columns and start with base ten. I get the children to "head" the columns, and we think of a number, then represent it with chocolate buttons in the relevant columns (103 = 1 button in the hundreds column; none in the tens; 3 in the ones). We notice that you can't have ten buttons in a column - if you do, they have to be bumped out and exchanged.

We then move on to try a different base, using the same method.

It's probably not as mathematically pure but I've found it amazingly effective (they get to eat the buttons at the end).

[CrotchetQuaverMinim]

very good! I'm 101101, which is 100 years older than you.

[ILeaveTheRoomForTwoMinutes]

That was at megs age

[ILeaveTheRoomForTwoMinutes]

[janethegirl2]

11 is 1011

[megletthesecond]

I've just worked out my age in binary numbers and I am 101001 yrs old.

[Ramaani]

[B
[ 1
[BB
[ 1
[
[ 0
[BBBBBBBB
[1

(Typo)

So 11. In binary is 1101.

That's the same as saying 11= 1+2+8

[CrotchetQuaverMinim]

We could work in base 12, for example, but we'd need two more symbols than we currently have (one would represent 10, and the other 11). Then when you get to twelve, you'd have to write 10 (meaning 1 lot of 121 = 12, and no lots of 120 =1).

[Ramaani]

Line up a row of (say) red Lego bricks (represented as H) thus

[
[ H H
[ HHHH
[ HHHHHHHH

And so on - doubling the pile each time.

Then get your DS to give you a random number of (say) blue bricks BBBBBBBBBBB

Then fit the blue bricks on top of the red bricks working from the longest row following the rule that you can only put blue bricks down if you have enough in your hand to fill the row

[B
[ H H
[BB
[ HHHH
[
[ HHHHHHHH
[BBBBBBBB

The row with 4 bricks was left blank because you had less than 4 in your hand after putting down 8 of you original 11 blue bricks.

Then go down the row of blues, marking 1 if that row has blue bricks and zero if it doesn't



B
[ 1
[BB
[ 1
[
[0
[BBBBBBB

[0