Thursday, March 19, 2026

7.1 Number System (Decimal Binary Octal Hexadecimal)

📖 Notes



1. Number System

  • A way to represent numbers in computers.
  • Two types:
    • Non‑positional: Symbols have fixed values regardless of position (e.g., tally marks, Roman numerals).
    • Positional: Value depends on position (decimal, binary, octal, hexadecimal).

2. Decimal Number System (Base 10)

  • Uses digits 0–9.
  • Place values: powers of 10 (units, tens, hundreds…).
  • Example: (123 = 1 x 100 + 2 x 10 + 3 x 1).

3. Binary Number System (Base 2)

  • Uses digits 0 and 1.
  • Place values: powers of 2 (1, 2, 4, 8…).
  • Example: (1001_2 = 8 + 1 = 9_{10}).
  • Bit: Smallest unit (0 or 1).
  • Byte: 8 bits grouped together.
  • Nibble: 4 bits (half a byte).

4. Octal Number System (Base 8)

  • Digits: 0–7.
  • Place values: powers of 8.
  • Each octal digit = 3 binary digits.
  • Example: (112_8 = 74_{10}).

5. Hexadecimal Number System (Base 16)

  • Digits: 0–9 and A–F (A=10, B=11, C=12, D=13, E=14, F=15).
  • Each hex digit = 4 binary digits.
  • Compact way to represent binary.
  • Example: (4F_{16} = 79_{10}).

6. Conversions

  • Decimal → Binary: Divide by 2, record remainders.
  • Binary → Decimal: Multiply digits by powers of 2, add results.
  • Decimal → Octal: Divide by 8, record remainders.
  • Decimal → Hexadecimal: Divide by 16, record remainders.
  • Binary ↔ Octal/Hex: Group bits (3 for octal, 4 for hex).

7. Important Rules

  • Binary numbers: only 0 or 1.
  • Octal numbers: digits 0–7.
  • Hexadecimal numbers: digits 0–9, A–F.
  • Last binary digit = parity check (0 = even, 1 = odd).
  • Zero power rule: any number raised to power 0 = 1.


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