Why Pac-Man Breaks at Level 256 | How Computers Do Math #3

A number stored in a fixed number of bits has a biggest value. Go one past it and it wraps around, like an old odometer: that's overflow. Computers use the same wrap on purpose to store negative numbers (two's complement), so one adder can also subtract. Then, overflow in the wild: YouTube's view counter, the year 2038, Pac-Man's split-screen level 256, and the first flight of Ariane 5. Video 3 of How Computers Do Math. CHAPTERS 0:00 Cold open 0:13 WHAT · Overflow: 255 + 1 = 0 2:18 HOW · Negative numbers without a minus sign 5:18 WHERE · Overflow in the wild ▸ How Computers Do Math, from video 1:    • How Computers Do Math   Until It Clicks: math, physics and code, explained visually. New videos every Tuesday and Saturday. Instagram:   / untilitclicks_   TikTok:   / untilitclicks   #math #programming #untilitclicks