What Is Binary Code?
Binary Code is a code of numbers that are etched onto a CD in the form of pits and lands, so when a CD player decodes it, it forms the specific and unique track. But how do you get different Binary Codes?...
When a song is recorded onto a CD, a laser etches a code of pits and lands onto the shiny side that are unique to the song, to be decoded later into binary code.
As you know, in the CD player, the laser sends out a beam of light onto the CD, and if it hits a land (flat surface) the light is reflected straight back, so the photoelectric cell realises it’s a land and represents this as a number 1. The light is refracted when it hits a pit, so the number 0 is shown. Gradually, as the laser moves around the CD, it creates a code of 0’s and 1’s that are Binary Code.
An example of binary code is 01000011100101010101010101011110010101101010000. This would make a sound with a unique frequency and amplitude that make up the different notes of a song.
This Binary code is later converted into electrical signals once more and played through the speakers as the sounds the brain recognises.
As you know, in the CD player, the laser sends out a beam of light onto the CD, and if it hits a land (flat surface) the light is reflected straight back, so the photoelectric cell realises it’s a land and represents this as a number 1. The light is refracted when it hits a pit, so the number 0 is shown. Gradually, as the laser moves around the CD, it creates a code of 0’s and 1’s that are Binary Code.
An example of binary code is 01000011100101010101010101011110010101101010000. This would make a sound with a unique frequency and amplitude that make up the different notes of a song.
This Binary code is later converted into electrical signals once more and played through the speakers as the sounds the brain recognises.
PHEW! We've finished! Now you know how a CD player gets information of a CD as binary code; translates it into electrical pulses; makes a speaker vibrate; how sound travels to your ear and how sound is received in the ear! However, if you find some words a bit tricky, have a look at the Glossary for some help!