Context

Learn about how computers represent numbers and colors.

Are you curious to explore in-depth how computers represent colors and numbers?

Starting hypothesis

• Representing 8 colors
• Representing 16 million colors
• Binary numbers
• Hexadecimal numbers
• (Optional) Octal numbers

Method / Used Tools

Representing Colors

RGB Color Basics

On a computer screen, colors are created by combining three types of light: red, green, and blue (RGB). Each of these colors acts like a small intensity control (a “knob”) that determines how much of that color is displayed.

If each light can only be in two states — on or off — then each color channel has only 2 possible values. Since there are three channels (red, green, and blue), the total number of possible combinations is:

• 2 × 2 × 2 = 8 colors

Each on/off state is represented by a bit:

• 0 = off
• 1 = on

For example: