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Missy Kailet
4,475 PointsWhat does "b" in a binary number mean?
There are a few examples of different bases within the current lesson. Binary numbers are of base 2, or 0's and 1's...so, with that said, what does the letter "b" mean within the following statement? Has it always been supported, or is this something new?
1 Answer
Jennifer Nordell
Treehouse TeacherHi there! It's a way to denote to PHP that this number is a binary number. Otherwise, it's going to think it's a normal decimal number. The same goes for octal and hexadecimal. The numbers rely on different prefixes to denote that they should be calculated as something other than base 10 numbers. You can find the documentation here.
Hope this helps!
edited for additional note
As I understand it, while binary numbers were supported in previous versions of PHP, this particular way of denoting a binary number came about as of version 5.4.0. We're currently on version PHP 7, so I don't think I'd call it new.
Missy Kailet
4,475 PointsMissy Kailet
4,475 PointsI didn't realize that the binary number was just the portion with 11111111 (as well as the 123 in front of the octal) until this answer. Thanks!