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  3. Computer Architecture : is 0 really 0 ?

Computer Architecture : is 0 really 0 ?

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  • R Rob Philpott

    -5v? I can't see how you can have tristate binary. What sort of logic was this?

    Regards, Rob Philpott.

    V Offline
    V Offline
    Vivi Chellappa
    wrote on last edited by
    #19

    There is a problem with ternary logic. "Bit" is short for "binary digit". What would you shorten "ternary digit" to? The problem is equally terminological as technical! PS. In the UK, I am aware that a tit is a kind of bird.

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    • U User 10929916

      in computers' circuits is the bit 0 really represented by no currency or it is a small signal that the computer is made to treat as 0 ? thank a lot !

      C Offline
      C Offline
      CPallini
      wrote on last edited by
      #20

      Usually the logical levels are represented by voltages, not currents. You may have either active-higth or active-low signals, see Logic Level at Wikipedia[^].

      THESE PEOPLE REALLY BOTHER ME!! How can they know what you should do without knowing what you want done?!?! -- C++ FQA Lite

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      • Z ZurdoDev

        Depends on the chip. Some read -5V as 0 and +5V as 1. Some are tri-state using -5V, 0, and +5V. It's actually voltage and not current that it is using. At least the chips I worked with years ago were that way. [Edit] And yes, some chips used 0V as 0 and +5 as 1. [/Edit]

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

        N Offline
        N Offline
        Nish Nishant
        wrote on last edited by
        #21

        That was some pretty good info. Thanks :-)

        Regards, Nish


        Check out 7 reasons C++ devs will love the VS 14 CTP by Nish Sivakumar Blog: voidnish.wordpress.com

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        • V Vivi Chellappa

          There is a problem with ternary logic. "Bit" is short for "binary digit". What would you shorten "ternary digit" to? The problem is equally terminological as technical! PS. In the UK, I am aware that a tit is a kind of bird.

          G Offline
          G Offline
          glennPattonWork3
          wrote on last edited by
          #22

          Quote:

          PS. In the UK, I am aware that a tit is a kind of bird.

          Amongst other things yes. ;)

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          • J Jeremy Falcon

            Rob Philpott wrote:

            -5v? I can't see how you can have tristate binary. What sort of logic was this?

            Quantum computers use tri-state binary.

            Jeremy Falcon

            A Offline
            A Offline
            Andy Brummer
            wrote on last edited by
            #23

            I thought it was just a complex superposition of 2 states, which ends up giving you 3 dimensions to work in so you can get things like 30 degrees away from true. :-D

            Curvature of the Mind now with 3D

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            • R Rob Philpott

              Bergholt Stuttley Johnson wrote:

              [edit] to put correct bus number before I was corrected[/edit]

              I try to avoid buses as they're always full of 'them', so have no ideas about numbers. That said, bearing in mind all you have to do is follow the Euston Road to make such a journey it surprises me that you take The Mall in on the way. Either way, I'm reasonably sure that they don't use -5v.

              Regards, Rob Philpott.

              B Offline
              B Offline
              Bergholt Stuttley Johnson
              wrote on last edited by
              #24

              24v 64hp London Omnibus

              You cant outrun the world, but there is no harm in getting a head start Real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time.

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              • V Vivi Chellappa

                There is a problem with ternary logic. "Bit" is short for "binary digit". What would you shorten "ternary digit" to? The problem is equally terminological as technical! PS. In the UK, I am aware that a tit is a kind of bird.

                P Offline
                P Offline
                PIEBALDconsult
                wrote on last edited by
                #25

                Vivic wrote:

                tit is a kind of bird

                Nah, it's what birds have two of.

                You'll never get very far if all you do is follow instructions.

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                • C CPallini

                  Usually the logical levels are represented by voltages, not currents. You may have either active-higth or active-low signals, see Logic Level at Wikipedia[^].

                  THESE PEOPLE REALLY BOTHER ME!! How can they know what you should do without knowing what you want done?!?! -- C++ FQA Lite

                  P Offline
                  P Offline
                  PIEBALDconsult
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #26

                  CPallini wrote:

                  voltages, not currents

                  Yes, but can you have one without the other?

                  You'll never get very far if all you do is follow instructions.

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                  • P PIEBALDconsult

                    CPallini wrote:

                    voltages, not currents

                    Yes, but can you have one without the other?

                    You'll never get very far if all you do is follow instructions.

                    G Offline
                    G Offline
                    glennPattonWork3
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #27

                    Current Flows, Voltage is Pressure to use the water metaphor...

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                    • G glennPattonWork3

                      Current Flows, Voltage is Pressure to use the water metaphor...

                      P Offline
                      P Offline
                      PIEBALDconsult
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #28

                      Yes, I know that, but it doesn't answer the question.

                      You'll never get very far if all you do is follow instructions.

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                      • P PIEBALDconsult

                        CPallini wrote:

                        voltages, not currents

                        Yes, but can you have one without the other?

                        You'll never get very far if all you do is follow instructions.

                        C Offline
                        C Offline
                        CPallini
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #29

                        That is not the point. Logical levels are bound to voltages because electrical potential difference is the measured physical quantity. For instance a car battery providing 8A to the vehicle lamps would have no higher logical level than four CR2032 cells providing 20 mA to a red LED (and its series resistor).

                        THESE PEOPLE REALLY BOTHER ME!! How can they know what you should do without knowing what you want done?!?! -- C++ FQA Lite

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                        • C CPallini

                          That is not the point. Logical levels are bound to voltages because electrical potential difference is the measured physical quantity. For instance a car battery providing 8A to the vehicle lamps would have no higher logical level than four CR2032 cells providing 20 mA to a red LED (and its series resistor).

                          THESE PEOPLE REALLY BOTHER ME!! How can they know what you should do without knowing what you want done?!?! -- C++ FQA Lite

                          P Offline
                          P Offline
                          PIEBALDconsult
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #30

                          I know that, but it doesn't answer the question.

                          You'll never get very far if all you do is follow instructions.

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                          • P PIEBALDconsult

                            Yes, I know that, but it doesn't answer the question.

                            You'll never get very far if all you do is follow instructions.

                            G Offline
                            G Offline
                            glennPattonWork3
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #31

                            Well Voltage 'dropped' across a component, it appears one side, a different value on the other side giving a difference in voltage that can be read with a meter in parallel. Current is the 'thing' (for want of a better word) moving through the circuit to measure it you have to break the path and insert the meter (there are other methods like coils etc. but...). So you can measure a voltage across something with out the being current flow (such as wires before plugging in). Bad explanation but the best I can manage at this time-O-day have a look at howstuffworks.com I seem to remember they had a very basic explanation. I'm off home! :)

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                            • P PIEBALDconsult

                              I know that, but it doesn't answer the question.

                              You'll never get very far if all you do is follow instructions.

                              G Offline
                              G Offline
                              glennPattonWork3
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #32

                              are you really sure?

                              P 1 Reply Last reply
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                              • G glennPattonWork3

                                are you really sure?

                                P Offline
                                P Offline
                                PIEBALDconsult
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #33

                                Yes, othrewise I wouldn't ask the question.

                                You'll never get very far if all you do is follow instructions.

                                1 Reply Last reply
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                                • P PIEBALDconsult

                                  CPallini wrote:

                                  voltages, not currents

                                  Yes, but can you have one without the other?

                                  You'll never get very far if all you do is follow instructions.

                                  C Offline
                                  C Offline
                                  CPallini
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #34

                                  To answer your exact question: no.

                                  THESE PEOPLE REALLY BOTHER ME!! How can they know what you should do without knowing what you want done?!?! -- C++ FQA Lite

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • P PIEBALDconsult

                                    I know that, but it doesn't answer the question.

                                    You'll never get very far if all you do is follow instructions.

                                    C Offline
                                    C Offline
                                    CPallini
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #35

                                    To answer your exact question: no.

                                    THESE PEOPLE REALLY BOTHER ME!! How can they know what you should do without knowing what you want done?!?! -- C++ FQA Lite

                                    P 1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • C CPallini

                                      To answer your exact question: no.

                                      THESE PEOPLE REALLY BOTHER ME!! How can they know what you should do without knowing what you want done?!?! -- C++ FQA Lite

                                      P Offline
                                      P Offline
                                      PIEBALDconsult
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #36

                                      :thumbsup: Exactly.

                                      You'll never get very far if all you do is follow instructions.

                                      1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • U User 10929916

                                        in computers' circuits is the bit 0 really represented by no currency or it is a small signal that the computer is made to treat as 0 ? thank a lot !

                                        A Offline
                                        A Offline
                                        Andrew Torrance
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #37

                                        Bits can be stored in many many forms . They can be in the polarisation of light , in magnetic state , by the presence or absence of a stored charge . But in electronics the information is usually transmitted as the presence or absence of a voltage . There is usually a very small current associated with that , we don't want a big current . The values of the voltages used and the corresponding currents are somewhat arbitrary . Some systems represent a 1 as the presence of a specific positive voltage ( typically 3 or 5) and some use 0 volts to represent a boolean 0 . This is not mandatory . It is equally possible to represent a 1 as 0 volts and a 0 as (say) 12volts . And if your system is noisy then some systems will use a positive voltage to represent 1 and a negative voltage to represent 0 . There is no hard and fast rule . Although in most systems +5v => 1 and 0v =>0 . There can never be an exact 5v or an exact 0v , you will always have noise induced in the circuit from a wide variety of sources . But the entire reason why binary systems are used is that they are able to handle the noise very well . When the noise voltages are in the millivolt range then it is going to take a lot of noise/bad luck for the noise to be so large that we cannot recognise a 1 and a 0 when using 5v systems . BUT it can and does happen, and it gets worse as the data frequency increases . We do get noise and some technologies are more prone than others . In this case we typicaly add extra bits on the side in order to help . These can be simple parity bits or more complex systems where not only can we detect 1 or 2 bit errors but correct them too. There is nothing stopping you having a system where we use 3 , 4 more voltage levels . And in that way we could have a single line carrying more than one bit of information . But such a system would be more susceptible to noise . In order to reduce the effect of noise you would probably have to slow the data rate . But you do not have to use simple voltage to transmit information you can do all sorts of fancy manipulation of the frequency and phase of a signal , and these are used in broadband . These can have many possible states , but are also less susceptible to noise , enabling the continued growth in the broad band speeds . The whole area is fascinating , if you enjoy electronics. But if you don't enjoy electronics and then its probably easier to think that yes 1 is 5v and 0 is 0v and live in blissful ignorance of what is actually happening several billion times a second in y

                                        G 1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • A Andrew Torrance

                                          Bits can be stored in many many forms . They can be in the polarisation of light , in magnetic state , by the presence or absence of a stored charge . But in electronics the information is usually transmitted as the presence or absence of a voltage . There is usually a very small current associated with that , we don't want a big current . The values of the voltages used and the corresponding currents are somewhat arbitrary . Some systems represent a 1 as the presence of a specific positive voltage ( typically 3 or 5) and some use 0 volts to represent a boolean 0 . This is not mandatory . It is equally possible to represent a 1 as 0 volts and a 0 as (say) 12volts . And if your system is noisy then some systems will use a positive voltage to represent 1 and a negative voltage to represent 0 . There is no hard and fast rule . Although in most systems +5v => 1 and 0v =>0 . There can never be an exact 5v or an exact 0v , you will always have noise induced in the circuit from a wide variety of sources . But the entire reason why binary systems are used is that they are able to handle the noise very well . When the noise voltages are in the millivolt range then it is going to take a lot of noise/bad luck for the noise to be so large that we cannot recognise a 1 and a 0 when using 5v systems . BUT it can and does happen, and it gets worse as the data frequency increases . We do get noise and some technologies are more prone than others . In this case we typicaly add extra bits on the side in order to help . These can be simple parity bits or more complex systems where not only can we detect 1 or 2 bit errors but correct them too. There is nothing stopping you having a system where we use 3 , 4 more voltage levels . And in that way we could have a single line carrying more than one bit of information . But such a system would be more susceptible to noise . In order to reduce the effect of noise you would probably have to slow the data rate . But you do not have to use simple voltage to transmit information you can do all sorts of fancy manipulation of the frequency and phase of a signal , and these are used in broadband . These can have many possible states , but are also less susceptible to noise , enabling the continued growth in the broad band speeds . The whole area is fascinating , if you enjoy electronics. But if you don't enjoy electronics and then its probably easier to think that yes 1 is 5v and 0 is 0v and live in blissful ignorance of what is actually happening several billion times a second in y

                                          G Offline
                                          G Offline
                                          glennPattonWork3
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #38

                                          Quote:

                                          The whole area is fascinating , if you enjoy electronics. But if you don't enjoy electronics and then its probably easier to think that yes 1 is 5v and 0 is 0v and live in blissful ignorance of what is actually happening several billion times a second in your humble pc or phone.

                                          Good explanation, I have a feeling that will not be the end though! It fried my brain to think of a one as -5v and a 0 as +5v when I started many moons ago!

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