Complements

COMPLEMENTS INTRODUCTION: Basic binary digits are described as UNSIGNED values. This is because if you look at the string of bits (zeros and ones) there is no indicator whether or not this value is positive or negative. You must use an additional symbol "+" or "-" to indicate the sign of the number. There are some types of number systems where you can determine the sign of number without using an addition symbol. You can tell …

…easy mistake to make. Watch out for this. **Don't ever forget when converting from an unsigned binary value to signed representation (1's complement or 2's complement representations) only negative numbers are changed. If you are still confused then look back at the odometer type circles from lab comparing unsigned, 1's comp and 2's complement numbers. You will see that the bit patterns that are used to represent positive values for all three representations are indentical.