Featured:
Allergies
Tech Know
Grilling Guide
eHow Now Blog

What are the ASCII Codes Used in Computers?

What are the ASCII Codes Used in Computers? thumbnail
Computers only understood binary code, until ASCII came along.

Computers only understand binary language, which is composed of only ones and zeroes. The ASCII standard was developed to represent the alphabet, numbers and other characters in binary form. As computers evolved over the years, so did the ASCII code table.

  1. Original Standard

    • The original ASCII code table consisted of 127 characters. All printable characters were represented including the entire alphabet, numbers and punctuation marks.

    Teletype Operation

    • Included on the original ASCII code list are a few codes that may sound strange, such as "bell" and "vertical tab." The ASCII code was originally developed to operate teletype machines, and these codes, while rarely used, today are common at the time of the ASCII's origin.

    Extended ASCII

    • As computers began to be used for more graphical application and the need for international symbols grew, the original 127 codes were not enough. The "Extended ASCII" code was developed, which increased the number of codes to 255.

    Higher Math Codes

    • The original ASCII code list only included basic math operations such as plus (+) and minus (-). The extended ASCII chart added several higher math symbols such as pi and epsilon.

    Foreign Accent Marks

    • As computers spread around the world, the need to support alphabets beyond English grew. The Extended ASCII code added characters with many accent marks such as the German umlaut.

Related Searches:

References

  • Photo Credit computer image by blaine stiger from Fotolia.com

Comments

You May Also Like

  • ASCII to ANSI Conversion

    ASCII stands for the American Standard Code for Information Interchange. It was created with the intention of establishing a universal index of...

  • How to Use Excel's Code Function

    Excel's Code function determines the numeric representation for the first character in the specified text string. This value is determined by the...

  • How to Use ASCII Characters in Text, Scripts and HTML

    We're spoiled by word processing programs that easily let us add special characters like the degree symbol, dashes and ampersands into our...

  • Define ASCII & ANSI

    ASCII and ANSI commonly refer to digital codes used to create letters, numbers, and other characters on computers.

  • ASCII Protocol

    ASCII Art Programs. ASCII Art Programs. ASCII stands for American Standard Code for Information Interchange and was a protocol used to display...

  • How to Draw With Computer Keyboard Buttons

    ASCII art and emoticons use the keys of the computer keyboard to make images on the computer. Emoticons are simple faces that...

  • How to Insert Math Symbols in WordPerfect

    Whether you're writing up a math test, organizing your math notes or typing up a report containing mathematical equations, you'll need to...

  • How to Type Ascii Characters in WoW

    World of Warcraft, or WoW as it is known to millions of players, is the incredibly popular MMPORPG (massively multiplayer online roleplaying...

  • What Is Text (ASCII) or HTML?

    ASCII stands for American Standard Code for Information Interchange. The most basic text reader--such as Microsoft's Notepad--can read ASCII text.

  • How to Convert ASCII to ANSI

    In computing, you can change one kind of code into another kind of code, and this is called converting. For example, you...

  • How to Type With Accent Marks in Photoshop Elements

    Photoshop Elements is photo editing software from Adobe Systems. It is primarily used for photo editing and manipulation, and its features include...

  • How to Create IM Emoticons

    Spice up your instant messages (and email) with popular emoticons. Popular emoticons use combinations of keys on the alphabetic and numeric keyboard...

  • How to Use Computer Applications

    Any software that you use on your computer is a computer application. This includes word processing, spreadsheet, Internet browsing, anti-virus and email...

  • How to Learn Binary Code

    Binary code is computer machine language that uses two different states, on and off, to translate instructions to its processors. The states...

  • How to Insert ASCII in Word 2007

    American Standard Code for Information Interchange, or ASCII, is a common character code for most word processors including Microsoft Word 2007. ASCII...

  • How to Find Symbol Codes for Web Pages

    When creating a Web page, you can use symbols to represent marks or words that don't appear on most keyboards. HTML symbol...

  • A Tutorial for Creating a Relational Database to a Java Application

    Connecting to a database is a common task if you program in Java. Many applications store their data in a database and...

  • How to Make Pictures Out of Text & Characters

    Making art out of typographical characters has been around since the days of typewriters, with typewriter art competitions being held as long...

  • Suburban Houses in the 1950s

    Suburban Houses in the 1950s. Following World War II, U.S. citizens flocked en masse to the suburbs from the city to raise...

  • How to Write Computer Code

    Computer languages are used to instruct computers to perform tasks that computers are ideal for, such a complex mathematics and processing large...

Related Ads

thumbnail
Featured