The Binary Bracelets is a bracelet-making activity to understand how computers store information.

In computer science, every character, including letters, is written as bits: a byte is a sequence of 8 bits. A bit is a digit that can have the value 0 or 1 (binary).

For example:

  • A is encoded as 01000001
  • B is encoded as 01000010
  • …
  • Z is encoded as 01111010

To count in binary, you just have to count “normally” (in decimal), as we learned at school, but keeping only the numbers made up of 0s and 1s:

  • 1 in decimal is ‘1’ in binary
  • 2 in decimal is ‘10’ in binary (the first number after 1 made only of 0s and 1s)
  • 3 in decimal is ‘11’ in binary
  • 4 in decimal is ‘100’ in binary

Binary Bracelet Photo

Example: A bracelet for the letter ‘A’ (01000001) with a wooden bead for the start, then White=0 and Black=1.

Activity:

  1. Use beads of two different colors (e.g., White = 0, Black = 1)
  2. Help them encode their first initial into binary code (8 bits per letter).

Tips:

  1. Start with a bead of another color (for example wood) to make it easier to read the code from the beginning.
  2. Given the size of the beads on their small wrists, encode their first initial, or even their last name initial.
  3. Using grid paper, they can start by writing the letters in a column and the binary digits opposite.

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