In our very first module, we looked at numeration systems and the different bases that various cultures used. The Babylonian system was base 60; the Mayan system was base 20 (almost); and our Hindu-Arabic system is base 10. You read in the Grace Hopper biography that computers use a base 2 system. In base 2, only two symbols are used, so all numbers are represented with 0s and 1s. A. Change the number 100 (base ten) to a numeral in base two.
B. Change the number 1010101 (base two) to a numeral in base ten.
C. This is a fun problem! The moon is approximately 238,900miles from Earth.
Admiral Hopper explained to David Letterman that a nano-second is one-billionth of a second. The maximum distance that electricity (or light) can travel in one nano-second is approximately one foot. How many seconds will it take to send an electronic signal from Earth to the Moon? If the signal bounces right back, how long will it take for the signal to go to the moon and come back to Earth? In this episode, Leonard and the other guys send laser signal to the moon and back. Leonard will tell you how long it took for the signal to go to the moon and back.