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Computer Number Systems 101

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CARMELINE PRECY LLORCA
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10 views40 pages

Computer Number Systems 101

Uploaded by

CARMELINE PRECY LLORCA
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Computer Number

Systems 101: Binary &


Hexadecimal Conversions
• When we type words onto a computer, it will translate
them into numbers.
• In fact, to a computer, all information is written as
series of 1s and 0s.
• Computer number systems are how we represent
numbers in a computer system architecture.
• Number systems are one of the most fundamental
concepts that computer scientists must learn. It’s an
important step for anyone who wants to become a
computer scientist or programmer.
Objectives
• What is a number system in computer science?
• What is the binary number system?
• What is the hexadecimal number system?
• How to convert between binary and hexadecimal
• What is the octal number system?
What is a number system in
computer science?
• Humans have been counting for a long time. To
do so, we use systems that relate unique
symbols to specific values.
• This is called a number system, and it is the
technique that we use to represent and
manipulate numbers.
• A number system must have unique
symbols for every value, be consistent,
provide comparable values, and be easily
reproducible.
• You are probably most familiar with the decimal
system that forms the basis of how humans count.
The decimal system has a base of 10, because it
provides 10 symbols to represent all numbers:
• Humans use the decimal system because we have 10
fingers to count on, but machines don’t have that
luxury. So, we’ve created other number systems that
perform the same functions.
• Computers represent information differently than
humans, so we need different systems to represent
numbers.
Computers support the
following number systems:
• Binary
• Octal
• Decimal
• Hexadecimal
Introduction to the Binary
Number System
• A computer uses bits to represent information.
• A bit is the most basic unit of storage in a computer.
• An essential component of computers is called
the transistor. Just like a light switch, the transistor
either allows or prevents current to flow. So, it only
has two states: on and off.
• Every number in a computer is an electrical signal. In
the early days of computers, electrical signals were
representing with an “on” state (a negative charge) and
an “off” state (a positive charge). This forms a kind of
binary switch.
• These two states can be represented using one of two
symbols: 1 and 0. This means that the binary number
system has a base of 2. Only symbols are needed to
represent every number.
• The base digits for the binary system are simple:
0 to represent a low state, and 1 to represent a
high state.
• Instead of representing numbers as individual units (like the number
10 or 400), we use groups of 1s and 0s. For example, here is what it
looks like when a computer counts from 0 to 10:

• This is called the binary number system. Each binary digit is referred
to as a bit. For instance, 01100110 is composed of 4-bits which
are 00, 11, 11, and 00. When it comes to placing values to the bits (i.e.
digits) in this system, we place values corresponding to ascending
powers of 2 from right to left.
• The rightmost bit is called the least significant bit (LSB), and
the leftmost bit is the most significant bit (MSB).
• You can manipulate bits left and right with bitwise operators
to efficiently change the value of a number at the machine
code level.
Convert between Decimal and
Binary
• We know that the binary system has place values of powers of 2.
These values are weights for the digits (0 or 1) in those positions.
Here’s how it works:
• We multiply each digit by its weight (its position multiplied by 2)
• We sum them all up to get the decimal number
• So, let’s take the binary number 11111010 and convert it to the
decimal number system.
• Now let’s try it the other way around. How do we convert from a
decimal to a binary number? One method to do this is repeated
division, which is a handy shortcut.
• o, take the number 19. We start by dividing it by two and writing
down the remainder. When we divide 19 by 2, we get 9 with a
remainder of 1.
• We then take 9 and divide it by 2, giving us a result of 4 with a
remainder of 1. This process continues until we reach zero. The
remainders that we gathered form our binary number!
Introduction to the
Hexadecimal Number
System
• The hexadecimal system is amore compact way of
representing numbers on a computer, as it requires only 4
bits to represent a digit’s value.
• The hexadecimal system (often called “hex”) is made up
of 16 symbols, so it has a base of 16. Hexadecimal uses the
10 numbers of the decimal system and six extra symbols, A,
B, C, D, E and F.
• The place values in hexadecimal are powers of 16. Let’s see
what the hexadecimal number XYZ would be in decimal. As
you can see below, hexadecimal numbers are preceded by a
# to indicate that they are base-16.
How to convert
between binary and
hexadecimal
• We will group the binary digits into sets of four (starting on the right).
Then, we replace each quartet with the corresponding hexadecimal
representation.
• Now for hexadecimal to binary! Let’s go through an example. Below,
we are expanding each hexadecimal digit by replacing it with its
equivalent binary quartet.
What is the octal
number system?
• The octal number system is not as widely used as hex of binary. It was
developed under the same idea as the hexadecimal system: to make
binary more compact.
• The octal system groups binary numbers into triplets instead of
quartets. So, the octal system is base-8, as 23=823=8.
• We use eight base symbols for the octal system that are borrowed
from the decimal system. Binary triplets can have values ranging
from 0−70−7.
• So, the place values will be ascending in powers of 88 from right to
left.
• To convert binary to octal, we follow this basic technique:
• Group the binary number into sets of three (similar to what we did
with hex)
• Bring each group of digits to a multiple of three by adding zeroes
• Write the corresponding octal symbol underneath each group
• You will now have an octal number
• Converting octal to binary is similar but a bit simpler:
• Write the binary representation for each octal digit
• Join those numbers together
• You will not have a binary number

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