What is an 8‑bit binary number?

An 8‑bit binary number uses 8 bits (0s and 1s) to represent values from 0 to 255. Each bit position has a place value of 2^n, where n starts at 0 from the rightmost bit (LSB).

Computer Science · Bitwise Operations

Decimal ↔ Binary Converter

Convert decimal numbers (0–255) to 8‑bit binary. Type a number or click the bits – both update in real time.

Decimal Value (0–255)

Range: 0 to 255 (unsigned 8‑bit)

8‑Bit Interactive Logic MSB (128) LSB (1)

Click any bit to toggle it – the decimal value updates automatically.

Raw Binary String (8 bits)

00000000

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📖 Understanding Binary (Base‑2)

Binary is a number system that uses only two digits: 0 and 1. Every binary digit (bit) represents a power of 2. In an 8‑bit number, the place values (from left to right) are: 128, 64, 32, 16, 8, 4, 2, 1.

🔗 Learn more: Wikipedia – Binary number | Khan Academy – Binary

🧮 How to Convert Decimal to Binary

Repeatedly divide the decimal number by 2 and collect the remainders from bottom to top. Example: 13 decimal → 13÷2=6 rem 1, 6÷2=3 rem 0, 3÷2=1 rem 1, 1÷2=0 rem 1 → read remainders upward: 1101 binary (padded to 8 bits: 00001101).

🧠 Binary in Computing

Computers use binary because transistors have two states: ON (1) and OFF (0).
8 bits = 1 byte, which can represent 256 different values (0–255).
ASCII characters are stored using binary (e.g., 'A' = 01000001).
Bitwise operators (AND, OR, XOR) work directly on binary representations.

💡 Pro Tip

In our interactive tool, the leftmost bit (MSB) has value 128, the next is 64, and so on. Click any bit to add or subtract its value from the total. Watch the decimal number change instantly!