In Episode 4 of Crash Course Computer Science, they dive into the basics of binary code, which is like the secret language computers use with just 0s and 1s. It’s amazing to see how computers take these simple signals and turn them into everything we see on screens—numbers, letters, even emojis! They explain ASCII encoding, which gives each character its own special binary code, making it possible for computers to understand and work with text seamlessly across different devices.

Episode 5 is about how computers do math and make decisions with something called the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU). This part of the computer is like its brain for calculations, handling everything from simple addition to complex logical operations like figuring out if something’s true or false. It’s mind-blowing to learn how the ALU, using binary numbers, powers through all these tasks super fast, showing how computers are built to be so efficient and smart.

In Crash Course Computer Science’s “Representing Numbers and Letters with Binary” (Episode 4), I found it fascinating how binary code, composed of just 0s and 1s, forms the backbone of digital information storage and communication. Understanding ASCII encoding and its role in translating characters into binary underscores the elegance and efficiency of computer systems in handling diverse data types. Similarly, in “How Computers Calculate – the ALU” (Episode 5), exploring the Arithmetic Logic Unit’s (ALU) ability to perform complex arithmetic and logical operations using binary digits was particularly intriguing.