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> AMONG number systems, the hexadecimal system of counting (or 'radix') has a special place in the hearts of programmers, being closely related to binary, the f
by todd-davies 10y ago
> AMONG number systems, the hexadecimal system of counting (or 'radix') has a special place in the hearts of programmers, being closely related to binary, the fundamental number system used by all modern computers.
Could somebody explain how hexadecimal is more closely related to binary than any other base is? My only conclusion is that one hexadecimal digit is equivalent four binary digits.
- nine_k 10y agoOctal is 3 bits per digit, hexadecimal is 4. Either was / is widely used wherever you need to interact with bits (eg embedded development). But 10-based cannot be easily mapped to binary, so does not work as well.
- andars 10y agoI would say your conclusion is right. Some bases don't really make sense to use in conjunction with binary (5, 7, 10, etc.) but any power of two "works". I prefer hex to octal because a byte splits nicely into two hex digits.
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- maaaats 10y agoBases in 2^n can be easily converted between, as you can consider each group/symbol independently when converting.