What numbering system do computers primarily use?

Computers primarily use the binary numbering system, which consists of only two digits: 0 and 1. This system is foundational to how computers process and store data, as it aligns with the electrical signals used in computing hardware. Each binary digit (bit) represents a power of two, allowing computers to perform calculations and represent values in a form that is easily manageable by electronic components.

The binary system simplifies the design of circuit components and allows for efficient data processing and memory management. For example, a single byte, which is composed of eight bits, can represent 256 different values, ranging from 0 to 255, by combining these binary digits in various configurations.

In contrast, while hexadecimal is often used in programming and computer engineering to represent binary data more compactly, it is not the primary system used by computers. ASCII is a character encoding standard that assigns numeric values to characters but is built upon the binary system. FAT refers to a file allocation table used in file systems, which again relies on binary operations to control data storage and retrieval. Therefore, binary is the foundational numbering system that underpins all computing processes.