Exam-style question
Try this first
Explain why 3 bits can represent 8 different values. Give all the possible configurations.
Model answer
What a good answer should say
- Each bit can be either 0 or 1.
- The number of different values represented with n bits is 2^n, so 3 bits represent 2^3 = 8 different values.
- The configurations are 000, 001, 010, 011, 100, 101, 110 and 111.
Explanation
Why this works
A complete answer identifies that each bit has two possible values, applies 2^n with n equal to 3, and lists all eight 3-bit configurations.
Common mistake
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