Introduction to Computer Music: Volume One

Other binary terms

Below are a few more binary terms you are likely to run into in working with binary numbers.

MSB--the left-most bit of a binary number is called the most significant bit (abbr. msb)

LSB--the right-most bit of a binary number is called the least significant bit (abbr. lsb)

word--this is a very inexact term--you will find many different definitions, but the most common definition of word is a 16-bit (two byte) binary value

nibble--a nibble is either the right or left half of a byte broken into two groups of 4 bits (1011 1010). The right half is called the lsn or least significant nibble and the left half is called the msn or most significant nibble

hexadecimal--a base-16 system of values. Each 'place' has 16 values, ranging from 0-15 times a certain power of 16 (from right to left, 16⁰, 16¹, etc.). To accomplish this with one position, letters are used for values over 9, so A=10, B=11, C=12, D=13, E=14, F=15). In this way, the 256-value range of a byte can be expressed in two-place numbers (000000000=$00, 11111111=$FF). Hex numbers are usually identified by dollar sign ($), a '0x' or followed by an 'H.'

Example of hexadecimal number:

powers of 16	161	160
equivalent decimal values	16's	1's
sample hex number (remember A=10, D=13)	$A	D
how to solve	10 x 16 +	13 x 1 =	173

For more information, visit http://www.howstuffworks.com/bytes.htm.