# A-level Computing/AQA/Problem Solving, Programming, Data Representation and Practical Exercise/Fundamentals of Data Representation/Two's complement

Nearly all computers work purely in binary. That means that they only use ones and zeros, and there's no - or + symbol that the computer can use. The computer must represent negative numbers in a different way.
We can represent a negative number in binary by making the most significant bit (MSB) a sign bit, which will tell us whether the number is positive or negative. The column headings for an 8 bit number will look like this:
| -128 | 64 | 32 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| MSB | | | | | | | LSB |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Here, the most significant bit is negative, and the other bits are positive. You start with -128, and add the other bits as normal. The example above is -67 in denary because: (-128 + 32 + 16 + 8 + 4 + 1 = -67)
-1 in binary is 11111111.
Note that you only use the most significant bit as a sign bit if the number is specified as signed. If the number is unsigned, then the msb is positive regardless of whether it is a one or not.
* Signed binary numbers
* If the MSB is 0 then the number is positive, if 1 then the number is negative.
* 0000 0101 (positive)
* 1111 1011 (negative)
* Method: Converting a Negative Denary Number into Binary Twos Complement
* Let's say you want to convert -35 into Binary Twos Complement. First, find the binary equivalent of 35 (the positive version)
* 32 16 8 4 2 1
* 1 0 0 0 1 1
* Now add an extra bit before the MSB, make it a zero, which gives you:
* 64 32 16 8 4 2 1
* 0 1 0 0 0 1 1
* Now 'flip' all the bits: if it's a 0, make it a 1; if it's a 1, make it a 0:
* 64 32 16 8 4 2 1
* 1 0 1 1 1 0 0
* This new bit represents -64 (minus 64). Now add 1:
* 64 32 16 8 4 2 1
* 1 0 1 1 1 0 0
* + 1
* 1 0 1 1 1 0 1
* If we perform a quick binary -> denary conversion, we have: -64 + 16 + 8 + 4 + 1 = -64 + 29 = -35

### Converting Negative Numbers

To find out the value of a twos complement number we must first make note of its sign bit (the most significant, left most bit), if the bit is a zero we work out the number as usual, if it's a one we are dealing with a negative number and need to find out its value.
* Method 1: converting twos complement to denary
* To find the value of the negative number we must find and keep the right most 1 and all bits to its right, and then flip everything to its left. Here is an example:
* 1111 1011 note the number is negative
* 1111 1011 find the right most one
* 1111 1011
* 0000 0101 flip all the bits to its left
* We can now work out the value of this new number which is:
* 128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1
* 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
* 4 + 1 = −5 (remember the sign you worked out earlier!)
* Method 2: converting twos complement to denary
* To find the value of the negative number we must take the MSB and apply a negative value to it. Then we can add all the heading values together
* 1111 1011 note the number is negative
* -128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1
* 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1
* -128 +64 +32 +16 +8 +2 +1 = -5
How about a more complex example?
* Method 1: converting twos complement to denary
* 1111 1100 note the number is negative
* 1111 1100 find the right most one
* 1111 1100
* 0000 0100 flip all the bits to its left
* 128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1
* 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
* 4 = −4 (remember the sign you worked out earlier!)
* Method 2: converting twos complement to denary
* To find the value of the negative number we must take the MSB and apply a negative value to it. Then we can add all the heading values together
* 1111 1100 note the number is negative
* -128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1
* 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0
* -128 +64 +32 +16 +8 +4 = -4
So we know how to work out the value of a negative number that has been given to us. How do we go about working out the negative version of a positive number? Like this, that's how...
* Method 1: converting twos complement to binary
* Take the binary version of the positive number
* 0000 0101 (5)
* 0000 0101 find the right most one
* 0000 0101
* 1111 1011 flip all the bits to its left
* So now we can see the difference between a positive and a negative number
* 0000 0101 (5)
* 1111 1011 (−5)
* Method 2: converting twos complement to binary
* Take the binary version of the positive number
* starting with -128, we know the MSB is worth -128. We need to work back from this:
* -128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1
* 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0
* -128 +64 +32 +16 +8 +1 = -5
* 0000 0101 (5)
* 1111 1011 (−5)
* Exercise: two's complement numbers
* Convert the following two's complement numbers into denary:
* 0001 1011
* Answer:
* (positive number) 27
* 1111 1111
* Answer:
* (negative number) 0000 0001 = -1
* 0111 1101
* Answer:
* (positive number) 125
* 1001 1001
* Answer:
* (negative number) 0110 0111 = -103
* 1011 1000
* Answer:
* (negative number) 0100 1000 = -72
* 81 (hexadecimal)
* Answer:
* (using 4 bits for each HEX char) 1000 0001
* (negative number) -> 0111 1111 = -127
* A8 (hexadecimal)
* Answer:
* (using 4 bits for each HEX char) 1010 1000
* (negative number) -> 0101 1000 = -88
* Convert the following numbers into negative numbers written in binary
* 0000 0001
* Answer:
* 1111 1111
* 0110 0000
* Answer:
* 1010 0000
* 0111 1111
* Answer:
* 1000 0001
* 12 (denary)
* Answer:
* 0000 1100 = +12 -> 1111 0100 = -12
* 67 (denary)
* Answer:
* 0100 0011 = +67 -> 1011 1101 = -67
* 34
* Answer:
* 0010 0010 = +34 -> 1101 1110 = -34
* 34 (hexadecimal)
* Answer:
* (using 4 bits for each HEX char) 0011 0100 = +52 -> 1100 1100 = -52
* 7E (hexadecimal)
* Answer:
* (using 4 bits for each HEX char) 0111 1110 = +126 -> 1000 0010 = -126

## Binary Subtraction

* Example: binary subtraction
* When it comes to subtracting one number from another in binary things can get very messy.
* X (82 denary) 0101 0010
* Y (78 denary) 0100 1110 −
* An easier way to subtract Y from X is to add the negative value of Y to the value of X
* X−Y = X+(−Y)
* To do this we first need to find the negative value of Y (78 denary)
* 0100 1110 find the right most one
* 0100 1110
* 1011 0010 flip all the bits to its left
* Now try the sum again
* 0101 0010 X( 82 denary)
* 1011 0010 + Y(−78 denary)
* 0000 0100
* (¹)¹¹¹ ¹ the one carried over the bit 9 is ignored
* Which comes out as:
* 128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1
* 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
* 4 = 4 = 82-78
* Exercise: Binary subtraction
* Find the answers to the following sums in binary, show your working
* 0110 1100 (108)
* - 0000 0111 (7)
* Answer:
* Convert the 0000 0111 into a negative number
* 1111 1001 = -7
* Add both numbers together:
* 0110 1100
* + 1111 1001
* 0110 0101 = 101
* (¹)¹¹¹¹ the one carried over the bit 9 is ignored
* 0001 1111 (31)
* - 0001 0011 (19)
* Answer:
* Convert the 0001 0011 into a negative number
* 1110 1101 = -19
* Add both numbers together:
* 0001 1111
* + 1110 1101
* 0000 1100 = 12
* (¹)¹¹¹¹ ¹¹¹ the one carried over the bit 9 is ignored
* 0111 0111 (119)
* - 0101 1011 (91)
* Answer:
* Convert the 0101 1011 into a negative number
* 1010 0101 = -91
* Add both numbers together:
* 0111 0111
* + 1010 0101
* 0001 1100 = 28
* (¹)¹¹ ¹¹¹ the one carried over the bit 9 is ignored
* 23 (hex) - 1F (hex)
* Answer:
* Convert the HEX values to binary
* 0010 0011 = 23 HEX or 35 denary
* 0001 1111 = 1F HEX or 31 denary
* Now let's find the negative value of 1F
* 1110 0001 = -31
* Add both numbers together:
* 0010 0011
* + 1110 0001
* 0000 0100 = 4
* (¹)¹¹¹ ¹¹ the one carried over the bit 9 is ignored
* 0000 1010 (10)
* - 1110 0001 (-31)
* Answer:
* They have tried to trick you. What is a negative number minus a negative number? X - (-Y) = X + Y
* Let's start by finding the value of the bottom number: 1110 0001 -> 0001 1111 = 31
* And by working this out we have the positive value (0001 1111)
* Add both numbers together:
* 0000 1010 (10)
* + 0001 1111 (31)
* 0010 1001 = 41