Bits

Before we talk about bits, let's understand how to count possible outcomes for simple objects. This forms the foundation for understanding information.

Single coin:

• 2 possible states: Heads or Tails
• We need a way to record which of the 2 outcomes occurred

Single standard die:

• 6 possible states: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6
• We need a way to distinguish between 6 different outcomes

Multiple coins:

• 1 coin: 2 states (H, T)
• 2 coins: 4 states (HH, HT, TH, TT)
• 3 coins: 8 states (HHH, HHT, HTH, HTT, THH, THT, TTH, TTT)
• $n$ coins: $2^n$ states

Multiple dice:

• 1 die: 6 states
• 2 dice: 36 states (each die can be 1-6 independently)
• 3 dice: 216 states

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