As we learned in the last lesson, computers use a different system of counting than humans. This system is known as base 2, or binary, and it underlies all of the complicated functions that go on inside computers. Using only ones and zeroes, computers are able to not only display large numbers, but also perform hard calculations and difficult tasks

  Computers are able to complete these feats thanks to logic gates, which are a part of Boolean algebra and logic.

  You might be wondering, what is Boolean algebra? Well, it relies on the same idea as linear, regular algebra; you can perform calculations with variables such as x and y, which can represent other numbers. But if x and y could only represent either 1 or 0, then that algebra becomes Boolean algebra. These variables can only be true (1) or false (0), so there are only two options for these variables.

  What about logic gates? Logic gates are simply the operations used in Boolean algebra to manipulate those variables. Instead of using traditional operations like addition or subtraction, logic gates are used.

In this lesson, you will learn the basic logic gates used by computers, along with the principles and tables that make these operations true.