Directions: Build the 8-Bit Code
Use the eight bit boxes to set a value for each position.
Each position switches between 0 and 1.
The signal shown above updates to match the current 8-bit pattern:
High pulse = 1
Low/flat line = 0
Continue adjusting the eight positions until the intended 8-bit code is shown.
The symbol shown below updates based on the current 8-bit code.
How 8-Bit Codes Carry Information in Technology
An 8-bit code is a way to represent information using eight binary digits. Each digit is either 0 or 1, so an 8-bit code can form 256 different patterns (from 00000000 to 11111111). Because there are 256 possibilities, an 8-bit code can be used to represent many kinds of information: especially letters, symbols, colors, and small numbers.
What the “information” really is
Technology does not send “letters” or “pictures” directly. It sends patterns. The receiving device uses an agreed-upon codebook to interpret those patterns.
Example: In a common text code system, the 8-bit pattern 01000001 corresponds to the letter A.
The pattern is the message. The meaning comes from the code system that both devices share.
How Digital Signals Move Through Different Technologies
An 8-bit code is typically stored and transmitted as a sequence of “on/off” states.
In electronics, those states might be high voltage vs low voltage.
In fiber optics, they might be light pulse vs no light pulse.
In radio or Wi-Fi, they are still bits, but they are carried by a radio wave whose properties are changed in a controlled way to represent 0s and 1s.
So the bits are the information, and the technology provides a physical way to carry those bits from one place to another.
Binary Code to Wave and Symbol
No symbol 00000000