About a century ago
At a gathering of electrical engineers
One eccentric engineer argued with great vehemence and enthusiasm
“I can make numbers flow in current wires.
I can make the current solve tough problems of mathematics.
In addition to lighting our homes and working our radios and phones
I will make the current do mathematics as it flows through metal wires.”
Every one laughed uncontrollably at his very strange ideas
But the eccentric man said “I stand by my word and would do it too”
“The electric juice has two states
‘Current on’ and ‘current off’,” he went on
“The current bulb has two states ‘switched on’ and ‘switched off’
There is a strange mathematics used only by the big scientist.
The ‘binary mathematics’ too has only two numbers
They are 0 and 1 and sufficient for every thing.
Using them I can make the currents do mathematics.
I stand by my word and would do it too”
He utilized a group of eight parallel currents
Each current had “voltage” of either five or ten.
Voltage is somewhat like level of water in a stream.
suppose we have eight very long cement canals
All are parallel to each other
All have equal cross section.
Electric juice flowing in the eight parallel wires
Is like currents of water in these eight parallel canals.
To understand voltages in a still clearer way
Let us compare them to two waterfalls.
The quantity of water in one may be less
but the height from which it plunges down may be big.
Low voltage current is like a low waterfall
High voltage current is like a high waterfall
Very dangerous to sit under
Though having much less water in it.
Now let us again go to the eight parallel currents.
The currents can be either of the two selected voltages.
Let us say they are either five volts or ten volts .
Each circuit is absolutely independent
Each circuit has its own battery and switch.
we can also switch on or switch off
All the eight currents only at the same millisecond
They resemble eight parallel canals with fast flowing water
But do not forget the very strict condition
The eight voltages (like water levels in cement canals)
Can be only of the two selected “levels”.
We have taken five volts and ten volts
Five volts represents the symbol “zero”
of the binary mathematics.
Ten volts represents the symbol “one”.
The eccentric engineer
Whom we mentioned above said
“All these eight voltages taken together as a bunch
Shall represent a single number!”
He was a queer man indeed
To think of making numbers flow in current wires!
May it be understood well
All eight voltages of the eight different circuits
All of them should be taken together as a bunch .
They are just different groups of zeroes and ones
Then only these groups can be made
to represent numbers like 2,3 and 4!
How this is achieved we will later learn.
computer making companies openly declared
that in their computers five volts level represents “zero”
And ten volts level is for the symbol “one”.
All the ten thousand tiny current circuits
in their computers should strictly obey this rule.
By Shastry Polavarapu (Admin at PDEP)
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