For questions about the binary-coded-decimal (BCD) numeric representation.
Binary-coded decimal is a representation of numbers used for various purposes where easy serialisation is more important than space efficiency. It represents each decimal digit as a 4-bit binary number from 0000₂
to 1001₂
, allowing values from 0
to 99
to be stored in an 8-bit byte (as opposed to values from 0
to 255
).
This storage method was commonly used for:
- representing scores in computer games, which often change rapidly and need to be redrawn – at worst – every frame.