What will you learn in Number Systems For Computer Scientists Course
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Differentiate between number systems—decimal, binary, octal, and hexadecimal—and convert values across them
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Perform binary arithmetic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) and understand two’s-complement for signed values
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Explain fixed-point notation and implement basic fixed-point arithmetic in binary
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Understand IEEE-754 floating-point representation, including bias, mantissa, and rounding modes
Program Overview
Module 1: Introduction to Number Systems
10 minutes
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Topics: Role of number systems in computing, overview of course structure
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Hands-on: Quick quiz on identifying number-system use cases
Module 2: Decimal, Binary, Octal & Hexadecimal Conversions
20 minutes
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Topics: Place-value principles, division-remainder and multiplication-fraction methods for conversion
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Hands-on: Convert sample decimal numbers to binary, octal, and hex and back
Module 3: Binary Arithmetic & Two’s-Complement
25 minutes
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Topics: Binary addition/subtraction rules, overflow detection, representing negatives via two’s-complement
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Hands-on: Implement binary arithmetic exercises and validate two’s-complement results
Module 4: Fixed-Point Notation
15 minutes
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Topics: Scaling factors, integer vs. fractional bits, overflow and precision considerations
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Hands-on: Encode decimal fractions in fixed-point binary and perform addition
Module 5: IEEE-754 Floating-Point Representation
30 minutes
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Topics: Sign, exponent with bias, mantissa, normalized vs. denormalized numbers, rounding modes
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Hands-on: Manually encode and decode single-precision values; explore edge cases (NaN, infinities)
Module 6: Computer Storage & Encoding Basics
10 minutes
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Topics: Byte ordering (little vs. big endian), ASCII vs. Unicode character codes
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Hands-on: Inspect memory dumps to interpret multi-byte values and character strings
Get certificate
Job Outlook
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Embedded Systems Engineer: $80,000–$120,000/year — work on firmware where low-level number representations are critical
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Compiler Developer: $100,000–$150,000/year — optimize numeric computations and floating-point code generation
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Systems Programmer: $90,000–$140,000/year — build operating systems, device drivers, and performance-sensitive software
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Mastery of number systems is foundational for roles in hardware design, signal processing, and high-performance computing.
Last verified: March 12, 2026
