Binary is the simplest form of data, representing everything as either a 0 or 1. It's the foundation of how computers store and process information, even though most developers these days are working with higher level abstractions like objects and serverless functions.

How to use it in a sentence

• I was up all night debugging, and at this point my brain has been reduced to binary - I either have a working program or I don't.

• With the rise of quantum computing, soon we'll have qubits instead of bits and binary will seem as quaint as punch cards.

If you actually want to learn more...

• The Binary Sample Size Calculator helps estimate the number of subjects needed per group in an experiment with binary outcomes, based on initial guesses for response rates and common statistical assumptions. You can find more details and try out the calculator at https://www.johndcook.com/binary_sample_size.html.

• If you need to convert between binary fractions and decimal numbers, this Rational Approximation tool can help find the best rational fraction approximation given a maximum denominator size: https://www.johndcook.com/rational_approximation.html

• For a treasure trove of resources on Lisp, a language known for its elegant handling of binary trees and recursion, check out Paul Graham's collection covering everything from language specs to AI research: https://www.paulgraham.com/resources.html

Note: the Developer Dictionary is in Beta. Please direct feedback to skye@statsig.com.