Understanding how computers interpret text through binary code. Learn the fundamentals of character encoding, ASCII, and how data is stored digitally.
Every time you type on a keyboard, send a text message, or read this article, you're interacting with one of the most fundamental concepts in computing: how computers represent and process text using binary code.
Computers don't understand letters, symbols, or characters. They only understand one thing: electrical signals - either on (1) or off (0).
So how do we bridge the gap between human language and machine language? The answer is character encoding.
The most basic encoding system is called ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange). It assigns a unique number to each character:
| Character | Decimal | Binary |
|---|---|---|
| A | 65 | 01000001 |
| B | 66 | 01000010 |
| C | 67 | 01000011 |
| a | 97 | 01100001 |
| 0 | 48 | 00110000 |
| @ | 64 | 01000000 |
When you type the letter "A", your computer:
ASCII was great, but it had a major limitation: it could only represent 128 characters. That's fine for English, but what about:
Enter Unicode - a universal encoding system that can represent over 1 million different characters from every language in the world.
Unicode assigns a unique number (code point) to each character:
These code points are then encoded into binary using formats like UTF-8, which is backward compatible with ASCII.
Let's trace what happens when you type "Hello":
You press the "H" key on your keyboard.
The keyboard sends a scan code to the computer indicating which key was pressed.
The operating system converts the scan code to the corresponding character using the keyboard layout.
The character is encoded into binary:
01001000The binary data is stored in memory or transmitted.
Understanding binary and text encoding is crucial because:
Knowing how text is encoded helps us compress it efficiently. For example, "AAAAAA" can be represented as "6A" instead of repeating "A" six times.
When data is transmitted over networks, efficient encoding means faster transfers and lower bandwidth usage.
Binary encoding allows for error detection and correction techniques that ensure data integrity.
Encryption and decryption work at the binary level, transforming readable text into scrambled code.
| Encoding | Description | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| ASCII | 7-bit encoding, 128 characters | Basic English text |
| UTF-8 | Variable-length (1-4 bytes) | Web standard, supports all languages |
| UTF-16 | Variable-length (2-4 bytes) | Windows, Java applications |
| Latin-1 | 8-bit encoding, 256 characters | Western European languages |
Let's convert "Hi" to binary:
0100100001101001"Hi" in binary: 01001000 01101001
Ready to see binary encoding in action? Use our interactive tools:
Text encoding is just one piece of the puzzle. Computers use similar binary encoding for:
The next time you send a text message or type an email, remember: you're witnessing a remarkable translation process. Your human-readable words are being transformed into 0s and 1s, transmitted across networks, and reconstructed back into text - all in the blink of an eye.
This elegant system of binary encoding is what makes our digital world possible. From simple text messages to complex databases, it all starts with understanding how computers read.
Want to learn more? Check out our other articles on binary basics and try our free conversion tools!