How many bits would be needed to count all of the students in class today? There are 5 children in the class.

To represent the 5 children as a computer bit, we make use of the equation . 3 bits are required to represent the 5 children.

Given that

---- number of children

The number of bits (b) is calculated as:

Substitute 5 for n

Take logarithm of both sides

Apply law of logarithm

Make b the subject

The number of bits must be an integer. So, we use the greatest integer closest to 2.32. The integer is 3

So:

Hence, the number of bits to represent the 5 children is 3.

Read more about bits at:

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