Bi-quinary coded decimal

One possible binary representation of biquinary code

Reflected biquinary code

Bi-quinary coded decimal is a numeral encoding scheme used in many abacuses and in some early computers, including the Colossus. The term bi-quinary indicates that the code comprises both a two-state (bi) and a five-state (quinary) component. The encoding resembles that used by many abaci, with four beads indicating either 0 through 4 or 5 through 9 and another bead indicating which of those ranges.

Several human languages, most notably Khmer and Wolof, also use biquinary systems. For example, the Khmer word for 6, pram muoy, literally means five [plus] one. The numerals from 0 to 9 in Japanese Sign Language is based on bi-quinary, with the thumb acting as 5 units, and the rest of the fingers each standing for 1 unit.

Examples

Several different representations of bi-quinary coded decimal have been used by different machines. The two-state component is encoded as one or two bits, and the five-state component is encoded using three to five bits. Some examples are:

• Roman and Chinese abacuses
  

  Copy of a Roman abacus
  

  Suanpan (the number represented in the picture is 6,302,715,408)
• Stibitz relay calculators at Bell Labs from Model II onwards
• IBM 650 – seven bits

Two bi bits: 0 5 and five quinary bits: 0 1 2 3 4, with error checking.

Exactly one bi bit and one quinary bit is set in a valid digit. In the pictures of the front panel below and in close-up, the bi-quinary encoding of the internal workings of the machine are evident in the arrangement of the lights – the bi bits form the top of a T for each digit, and the quinary bits form the vertical stem.

(the machine was running when the photograph was taken and the active bits are visible in the close-up and just discernible in the full panel picture)

Value	05-01234 bits	IBM 650 front panel Close-up of IBM 650 indicators
0	10-10000
1	10-01000
2	10-00100
3	10-00010
4	10-00001
5	01-10000
6	01-01000
7	01-00100
8	01-00010
9	01-00001

• Remington Rand 409 - five bits

One quinary bit (tube) for each of 1, 3, 5, and 7 - only one of these would be on at the time.

The fifth bi bit represented 9 if none of the others were on; otherwise it added 1 to the value represented by the other quinary bit.

(sold in the two models UNIVAC 60 and UNIVAC 120)

• UNIVAC Solid State – four bits

One bi bit: 5, three binary coded quinary bits: 4 2 1 and one parity check bit

• Univac LARC – four bits

One bi bit: 5, three ring counter coded quinary bits and one parity check bit

References

See also

• Binary-coded decimal
• Binary numeral system
• Chisanbop
• Quinary numeral system
• Two-out-of-five code