What are binary signals?

Binary signals are messages that use only two different values, think of them as on and off, or yes and no.

Imagine you have a flashlight, and you're trying to send secret messages to your friend across the room. If you turn the flashlight on, it means 1; if you turn it off, it means 0. Each time you flick the light, you’re sending a binary signal, like a code made of just two letters: 1 and 0.

Think about a light switch in your house. It has only two positions: on (which is like 1) or off (which is like 0). Every time you flip the switch, you're sending a binary signal to the light bulb, telling it what to do.

Now imagine you’re using your flashlight to send messages in Morse code, but instead of dots and dashes, you use just on and off. If you blink the light fast, that's like saying 1, and if you leave it off for a while, that’s like saying 0. Your friend can read your message by watching how the light blinks, all made up of just two simple choices!