What are/were they meant to represent? When were they introduced? I can’t find any consistent reliable sources. I’d really appreciate references if anyone has any!
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Introduced as early as the 1950s, and it’s because computing at a very basic level is handled in binary code – 1s and 0s. In this case, 1 represents on and 0 represents off.
Placing a switch in the ON position means closing a circuit to supply energy to the system. Thus, the line represents a closed circuit, and the circle is an open circuit.
I learned them as being one and zero. In binary 1 is true and 0 is false, so if you want to know whether the system is on, 1 means yes and 0 means no.
As other conments have shown here, though, there are other possible interpretations.
Think of it as 1 and 0 can be seen as a true/false of “is there power here?” “There isn’t any power, so 0 power”
The circle is open circuit and the line is closed circuit. Open circuit means off, closed means on.
It’s simply from the binary system from the late 1600’s that computers was built on in the 40’s. You have 1s and 0s, 1 meaning ON and 0 is OFF.
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If you look at old toggle switches, the plate around them had the words “on” and “off”. However, with internationalization, you start to see this substituted for “1” and “0” in the computer age, representing binary yes/no, especially when printed on the face of a rocker toggle switch. Because of ubiquitous use of English in the US and ample domestic market, non-English switches came later there.
So, “1” for on, and “0” for off, as early as 1960s. But what if there is only one push button? The one and zero were combined into a new symbol, and the 1/0 along with “power button” ⏻ symbol standardized in 1973 (originally as “standby”, with the power button symbol instead having the I completely in the 0.)
A Regency TR-1 transistor radio, introduced 1955, later added a circle below its power switch and volume dial. In searching ages of equipment to see examples of transition from 1960s-70s, I also found some mis-application of the new symbol, such as a solid circle for off, the 1/0 symbol for on.
They are 1 and 0. In computer terms, 0 means little or no energy, and 1 means significant energy. So 1 is positive values, like true, or on, while 0 is negative values, like false, or off.
Most machines are never truly “off” they just go on standby, which is why their symbol looks like a circle with a vertical line through it. Which sorta defeat the purpose of a binary if you introduce “kinda” but there you have it.
The International Electrotechnical Commission standards organization define it as open/closed as many others have stated.
The line is on. The circle is off.
Yes, the numbers 0 and 1 are used for on off sometimes , but the symbol is a line abd circle and they were originally chosen as a language neutral representation for an open and closed circuit.
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