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Inside the ComputerBinary Computing

The Vote From Outer Space

A cosmic ray may have added 4,096 votes in a Belgian election

In 2003, a Belgian party got thousands of votes that nobody cast. Could a particle from space really do that?

You'll find out

  • How one tiny change adds thousands
  • What showers the ground from space
  • Memory that repairs itself

Why it matters

Every phone, car and voting machine stores its numbers as bits, and a bit can flip: the safe ones check themselves.

About 3 min6 interactive slides · 5 questionsLesson 175 · Zone 20

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