Creative Computation: The ASCII Keyrings

To wrap up their journey into binary, we explored how computers represent more than just numbers. By utilising the Extended ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) table, students discovered how every letter on their keyboard is assigned a specific 8-bit binary code.

To bring this theory into the physical world, each student used their skills to convert the first letter of their name into its binary equivalent. They then used this code to design and create binary keyrings, using 1 and 0 beads to represent the ‘on’ and ‘off’ states of their chosen character.

It has been a joy to see the students engage so enthusiastically with the ‘hidden’ language of technology.

Ms Platten

Head of Computer Science