How Computers Store Information: Binary, Images, Audio, Video & Programs Explained (Chapter 1

Chapter 1: How Computers Actually Store Information 

So you browse Instagram, watch Netflix, code in VS Code, play your favourite games…
but have you ever wondered where the hell does your computer store all this?

Because deep down, this entire digital realm — the images, videos, games, code —
is nothing but voltage patterns: 0s and 1s.
If you don’t understand what I mean by “illusion,” then go read my other blog: Illusion of the Digital World.

Disclaimer: I use AI tools for SEO optimisation. Consider this blog human-written with my knowledge and understanding.

Alright, let’s continue.

This is Chapter-1 of my Computer Science Basics series.
If you haven’t read the intro, go check it out: Computer Science Basics: Introduction.

Now let’s break down the real secret:
How the hell does a computer “store” numbers, text, images, audio, and even videos using only binary?

 Step 1 — How Computers Store Natural Numbers

Every number you see is simply an electrical pattern.

• Voltage ON → 1

• Voltage OFF → 0

That’s it.

Examples:

5 → 101
10 → 1010
15 → 1111

Just patterns of electrons.

 Step 2 — How Computers Store Negative Numbers

Computers use Two’s Complement.

Example:

+5 → 00000101
-5 → invert bits, add 1 → 11111011

Why do we use Two’s Complement?

• Only one representation for zero

• Math becomes easy

• ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit) becomes simpler

This is why computers can add/subtract negative numbers without confusion.

 Step 3 — How Computers Store Fractions (Floating Point)

This is where decimals like:

• 3.14

• 0.0001

• -45.6

are stored.

Computers use IEEE 754 Floating Point, which splits the number into:

• sign

• exponent

• mantissa

This gives HUGE and tiny values, but yes —
floating point has precision loss, causing bugs in graphics, ML, and physics simulations.

 Step 4 — How Computers Store Text

Characters = numbers.

 ASCII

Old standard: 7 bits → 128 characters.

Examples:
A = 65
a = 97
space = 32

 Unicode / UTF-8

To support:

• Hindi

• Kannada

• Tamil

• Chinese

• Emojis

• Symbols

UTF-8 uses variable-length bytes:

😀 emoji → 4 bytes
A → 1 byte
अ → 3 bytes

This is why emojis crash old systems — not enough bytes.

 Step 5 — How Computers Store Images

Images = A grid of colored pixels.

Each pixel stores RGB:

• R (0–255)

• G (0–255)

• B (0–255)

Examples:

Red → (255, 0, 0)
White → (255, 255, 255)
Black → (0, 0, 0)

Resolution = width × height
1080p → 1920 × 1080 → 2 million pixels per frame.

File formats:

• PNG → lossless

• JPG → lossy

• SVG → vector graphics

• BMP → raw bitmap

 Step 6 — How Computers Store Audio

Sound is a wave. Computers sample it.

Sampling Rate

44.1 kHz → 44,100 samples per second
Higher = more detail.

Bit Depth

• 8-bit → noisy

• 16-bit → CD-quality

• 24-bit → studio-quality

Audio file = list of numbers representing wave amplitude.

 Step 7 — How Computers Store Video

Video = images + audio + timing.

Frame rates:

• 24 fps → movies

• 30 fps → YouTube

• 60 fps → gaming

Compression (MP4, H.264)

Uses:

• keyframes

• delta frames

• motion vectors

This is why a 4K video can be just 30–50MB — heavy compression magic.

 Step 8 — How Computers Store Programs

Your C, Python, Java code eventually becomes:

• low-level instructions

• which become binary

• which the CPU executes

Example:

C:

a = a + 1;

Assembly:

LOAD R1, a
ADD R1, 1
STORE a, R1

Binary:

00010101 11000011 00101111

Your CPU executes THAT.
Everything is electrons.

 FINAL NOTE

Now you finally understand that your entire digital world is nothing but electrons dancing between 0 and 1.

In the next chapter, we will explore:
🔥 How RAM works
🔥 How SSD/HDD store data
🔥 How BIOS/UEFI boots your system
🔥 Fusion of hardware + binary logic

This is just the beginning.