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THE CS WIKI LIBRARY

The article library

Small, clear explanations for big ideas. Find your next rabbit hole.

02 — 04
An independent field guide to computer science

Make sense of
the invisible.

A visual field guide to the ideas shaping our digital world. Start with a question; leave with a little more wonder.

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A GOOD PLACE TO BEGIN

Ideas, made clear.

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PLAY WITH THE BUILDING BLOCKS

Learn by doing.

learn by doing

Computers only understand 0s and 1s. Click the bits to flip them. Each bit is worth double the one on its right, and the ones that are ON add up to the number.

Binary
Hex
Octal
ASCII letter

Sorting is one of the most studied problems in computer science. Pick an algorithm and watch how it puts the bars in order.

Comparisons: 0 Swaps: 0

The Caesar cipher hides a message by shifting every letter along the alphabet. It is one of the oldest encryption methods and is said to have been used by Julius Caesar.

Top row: the letter you type. Bottom row: what it turns into.

Encrypted message

Challenge: switch to Decrypt, use a shift of 3, and decode Khoor Zruog.