binary system

American  

noun

1. a system involving only two elements, as 0 and 1 or yes and no.

2. Mathematics.  a system of counting or measurement whose units are powers of two.

3. Astronomy.  binary star.

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Etymology

Origin of binary system

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

When in a close pair – or binary system – with another star, the White Dwarf can start to ‘eat’ gas material, which it steals from the other star — until it is so full that it explodes!

From Space Scoop

Black holes in binary systems pull in matter from companion stars, creating relativistic jets that transform these systems into "micro-quasars."

From Science Daily

The discovery opens up new questions about how planets form and persist in binary systems.

From Science Daily

This strange new world orbits around two stars at once, which dance around each other in what astronomers call a binary system.

From Space Scoop

It’s a binary system; a choice of extremes.

From Los Angeles Times