Why do electronic computers represent numbers using the binary system rather than the decimal system?

Electronic computers use the binary system instead of the decimal system for several reasons:

1. Simplicity: Binary system is a simple and straightforward system that only uses two digits, 0 and 1. This makes it easier for computers to process and store data.

2. Hardware Design: The design of computer hardware is based on the binary system. The basic unit of information in computing, the bit, can have only one of two values, typically represented as 0 or 1.

3. Electrical States: Computers use electricity to process information. It's easier and more reliable to design electronic components that have two states (on/off or high voltage/low voltage), which correspond to the two values in the binary system.

4. Error Detection and Correction: Binary codes are used in error detection and correction. If an error occurs in one bit, it's easier to detect and correct it in binary than in decimal.

5. Efficiency: Binary arithmetic is more efficient than decimal arithmetic for computers. Computers can perform operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division faster in binary than in decimal.

In summary, the binary system is used in computers because it's simple, compatible with the design of hardware, reliable, efficient, and suitable for error detection and correction.