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Binary Counting Game

Count in binary and see how the bits change as numbers get bigger.

Binary Counter
Watch how binary numbers change as you count up and down.
0
128
0
64
0
32
0
16
0
8
0
4
0
2
0
1
Decimal
0
Binary
00000000
1x

Learning About Binary Counting

Patterns in Binary

As you count in binary, look for patterns in how the bits change. The rightmost bit (least significant bit) changes with every count, while the leftmost bit (most significant bit) changes least frequently.

Binary Counting Rules

When counting in binary, we follow these rules:

  • Start with all bits set to 0
  • To add 1, flip bits from right to left until you flip a 0 to a 1
  • When you flip a 0 to a 1, stop flipping

Try This!

Watch what happens when you count from 7 to 8 in binary. All the bits change! This is similar to how in decimal, all digits change when counting from 9 to 10.