Binary Switches

Flip eight light switches to make each number in binary.

Each round shows a denary number from 0 to 255. Students flip the 128, 64, 32, 16, 8, 4, 2 and 1 switches until the lights add up to the target. Rounds get harder as they go, ending with a reverse challenge: read the binary and type the number.

Learning goals

  • Convert denary numbers to 8-bit binary
  • Convert binary numbers back to denary
  • Understand place value in base 2