Binary Decade Counter
February 18, 2026 • EPISODE 298
How do integrated circuits actually work? In this episode of Science LIVE with Roger Billings, explore the fundamentals of integrated circuits with a closer look at a binary decade counter and how it processes and counts electrical signals.
Learn more about the Acellus Robot Dance Contest and Acellus World, coming to Kansas City in May 2026! And get ready to discover fascinating science in the natural world—from hydrophobic spiders that repel water to the surprising fact that rainbows include invisible colors beyond what our eyes can see.

About DrB
Dr. Roger Billings is a visionary innovator whose work has touched the lives of millions of students and transformed the landscape of education. Widely known as “DrB” to the countless kids who benefit from his groundbreaking Acellus learning system, Dr. Billings has dedicated his life to advancing education through technology.
As part of DrB’s lifelong commitment to supporting education, Science LIVE was launched as a way to “give back” by mentoring students in conjunction with the Roger Billings Scholarship Program.
Read more about DrB »
About the Roger Billings Scholarship Program »



The AC-D2 robot was so cool!
tobias is a cool dude.
Can’t wait for next weeks video!
I love Science Live!
AC-D2 is cool :O
Wow I did not think water spiders were cool until now this gave me a different perspective of them!
Hello from St. Marys, GA!
Thank ya’ll for another great video! I didn’t think much about water spiders, but now their really fasinating.
Another great episode! Hello from FL! 🙂
It would so helpful if we could capture energy from waves!
I did not know that a water spider existed till now
This is SOOOOO COOL
I have fear of spiders but the water spider is cool
i do not like spiders either but i do like the water spider too
Science live is so cool to watch every week.
science live was interesting! I had no clue what a water spider was until i watched the science live.
it’s incredible that an 11 year published a book and won an award.
I love spiders, and learning about new ones.
I love Science Live!
I loved watching the robot dance!
I Love The Music
Hello from Texas, Thanks.
Hello from Iowa! Water spiders are so fascinating!
It was so cool how the super hydrophobic did not sink I learned a lot today.
Technology is amazing. Energy harvesting from the ocean would guarantee unlimited soures of energy.
I am very interested by the water spider, and I did not know they existed!
I loved watching ACD2 dance to the music!!
Water spiders are freaky but so cool!
Dr. Billings, how often to the will the Inventioneers work with the Protégés because when they do, it always gets…. interesting. 😊
This was a really cool episode I really liked it I enjoyed the water spider the most because I did not know it was a thing before today!
Dr. Tobias, given that pattern, does that mean ultraviolet has the least amount of temperature?
I liked the spiders it was cool
Dr. John, could they use this technology to make lifejackets even safer?
Comment Bro really
The water spider thing is so cool and interesting how they’ve adapted to be like that
Thanks for a cool lesson
This was a amazing video! Thank you so much!
I had know clue what a water spider was till this! I love Acellus.
Spiders are so scary, but the water spider is okay.
Congratulations to Claudia for becoming the newest Inventioneer!
Great job Kelsey! I’m definitely excited to watch your film!
HI from Buffalo NY!
Dr. Billings, WOW! I’m definitely going to try to get to Acellus World!
I didn’t know the sun had different colors that’s so cool
Acellus is awesome!
i liked learning about the spiders
Cool that the underwater spider lives underwater but cant breathe underwater so it brings an air bubble down to breathe.
I look forward to science live every week!
Love dancing robots!
I learned a lot! Thank you
thanks as always dr b
Hello from Texas, Thanks.
Do you think we will one day need the hydrophobic material to save humanity?
Saying hi from Buffalo, NY. I love Acellus!
I didn’t know about water spiders that was cool
everything I see here inspires me to be a better user of the scientific method and try hard to reach my goals. i love science live!
My favorite part was the spider, on how it makes a web under water then it fills it with air, i think its pretty cool how its fur doesn’t get wet by water, i also thought its cool on how it can’t breath under water but it lives under water, every thing else was amazing, thanks for sharing.
I always learn so much during science live!
I loved learning about the water spider!
The dancing robot is really cool!
I enjoyed learning all about the binary coding, the dancing robot was very interesting and maybe with my gold points i could get one. The hydrophobic spider was cool, making the bubbles to be in the water is brilliant.
Love acellus
Water spiders are so cool
Super hydrophobic materials are really cool!
that spider is cool
Loved ACD2!
Water Spiders!!! I had no idea.
I love the ACD2!!!!!!
THANK YOU just thank you for all you do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
loved the binary decade counter super cool. can you add a space class or ant?
It’s crazy how Kelce wrote a book, then took animating classes, and has now gotten the attention of Hollywood at only 11.
Loved learning about binary
I love the robot dancing
I love learning about spiders! They’re so cool!
Binary Decade Counter is sooo cool!!
How long does a water spider live?
Hi from Kansas.
so cool and fun the robots sound like a fun thing to do!
my favorite part was doc Robert Billings said ”just make a noise and call it a word.”
I hope I get to go to acellus world
i loved learning about the water spiders those are so cool!
Was the scientist who discovered infrared light also the one who discovered ultraviolet?
loved this new and interesting episode keep up the good work!
I really don’t like spiders but the water spider is really cool.
I learned a lot about the Binary Decade Counter
Water spiders are scary dude
hydrophobic spiders are real cool
Acellus is cool!
I love about the water spiders
wow great science live, love yall!!!
I learned so much and really enjoyed this episode!
what motivated you to start acellus?
I love science live
I like the infrared light thing
The science spotlight is always so cool and fun!.
The water spider is crazy!
Does anyone else think that the AC-D2 song should be made into a tv show intro theme song?
That is so cool love science live
Good job science live team!
The aluminum is cool. The robot they showed us is cute.
I love Science Live, I always learn something new!
I love this video
Wow, absolutely amazing! Can we do an episode based around music and science?
Probably my fav video yet!!
so your telling me a rainbow has nine colors.
Can we learn more about spiders?
If this hydrophobic tech existed when the Titanic was built, would it have still sunk?
I love water spiders!
Science Live is so cool! I appreciate that we learn new things that are being discovered and possibilities for their use. Love Science Live!
I loved learning about the prism!
I love Science Live!
Binary decade counter is very intresting!!
how would that help us. What does that wave thing look like.
cool how the water spider stays under water and it cant breath under water so it brings a bubble down to breath
That was so cool I did no know there were water spiders
I thought It was really cool and inspiring how an 11 year old girl took her time and decided that she wanted to make her own book and animated film about the book and how she is now a very famous person and writer.
Binary Decade counter is so cool!!
I loved watching the robot dance
I didn’t even know what ultra violet was,let alone how it was explored!
I have robot already so i would like to enter the competition!
It is very cool that we can make a super hydrophobic pipe that does not sink.
i like the videos for science live
thanks again for all the great content!
Water spiders are so interesting!
I learned so much thank you!
The Binary Decade Counter is very cool and interesting to see and learn about.
I love it when science takes inspiration from nature, like water spiders!
I love science live!
Science live is the best!
Wow loved this video today!!!1!!
Hi From Texas! This video was super fun to watch!
I enjoyed this weeks video. I liked the music and dancing.
How do you program the robot to dance?
I liked everything until the spiders!
thank you science live seeing the ACD2 dance was so amazing.
i learned a lot today thank you science live seeing the ACD2 dance was so amazing.
how cool was that video that makes me want to make my own thing for the since fair that’s soo cool how a 11 year old is that famuse
I’m so excited to so the next science live to see the lady protégé in action!
Great Science Live. The water repellent material sounds really cool.
i learned a lot today thank you science live
Infrared is my new favorite color
Hi from tennessee!
Wonderful episode! It was super super super cool!
i like science lives 🙂
Thank you for taking the time to make these videos!!!!!
I did not know water spiders were a thing, that’s so cool!
Dancing robot, how cool!
This science live was extremely cool! Before watching this I had never heard of a binary decade counter before and now I do. And I also have never heard of a water spider before so this was truly interesting . Can’t wait to share the new facts with my family.
Thanks for the lesson
Hydrophobic surfaces have to be the coolest thing I’ve seen so far, it has so many uses!
Im not entirely sure what happened to my other comment but here’s this one just to be sure one of them went through.
how do Hydrophobic not sink and what is binary decade counter, and how do we use it?
There’s always something new to learn about spiders, so cool!
If computers only understand 0 and 1, how do they know the difference between a Minecraft block and a YouTube video? thanks
You should make a tv show or something with R 51 🙂
I don’t like spider but that was some interesting facts about the spider who lives underwater.
Very interesting topic, this was cool. Thank you!
The robot dancing always makes me laugh.
The protégé’s can be so funny sometimes!
I cant wait for the reveal of the robot.
what prototype are they making with the energy from the waves?
my sister is not going in person to the science fair but she is going to post a video the prodojes are funny
Everything in the Accelus video was so cool!
I liked when the robot dance and also when the spider hold the water.
Loved this video! So cool!
I am AMAZED!
Always look forward to what Tobias has to talk about.
So funny and learned a lot
I love this science live
Watching the replay. Excited to see the topic this week.
I love science live
How do you get parts for the binary decade counter?
I’m looking forward to this episode. Thank you.
Wow I learned a lot from the binary counter !!
I look forward to this every week now! The water spider was so cool yet to creepy!!
I loved this video I learned a lot
If computers naturally count in binary why was the invention of the decade counter so important for things like digital alarm clocks or the scoreboard at my school?
I’m so excited for Acellus World, we missed last years. And im saving up for a robot because I want to be able to get it to dance