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NUMBER SYSTEMS
A number system defines how numbers are represented using symbols (digits). It’s based on a
base (or radix), which determines how many unique digits are used.
Types of Number Systems
1. Binary Numbers
• A binary number is made up of only 0s and 1s.
• It’s used by computers because they operate using two states: on (1) and off (0).
• Each digit represents a power of 2 (e.g., 1, 2, 4, 8, 16…).
2. Decimal Numbers
• The decimal system (base 10) uses digits 0–9.
• Each digit is a power of 10 (e.g., 1, 10, 100…).
3. Conversion: Binary to Decimal
To convert binary to decimal:
• Multiply each binary digit by 2 raised to its position (starting from the right).
• Add the results.
Example:
Binary 1011 = (1×2³) + (0×2²) + (1×2¹) + (1×2⁰)
= 8 + 0 + 2 + 1 = 11
4. Conversion: Decimal to Binary
To convert decimal to binary:
• Divide the number by 2 repeatedly.
• Record the remainders.
• Read the remainders from bottom to top.
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NUMBER SYSTEMS
Example:
Convert 13 to binary:
13 ÷ 2 = 6 R1
6 ÷ 2 = 3 R0
3 ÷ 2 = 1 R1
1 ÷ 2 = 0 R1 → Read bottom-up = 1101
Examples
Converting binary numbers to decimal
Method:
Multiply each binary digit by 2 raised to the power of its position (from right to left), then add all
results.
Example 1: Binary 1010
= (1×2³) + (0×2²) + (1×2¹) + (0×2⁰)
= 8 + 0 + 2 + 0 = 10
Example 2: Binary 111
= (1×2²) + (1×2¹) + (1×2⁰)
=4+2+1=7
Example 3: Binary 1001
= (1×2³) + (0×2²) + (0×2¹) + (1×2⁰)
=8+0+0+1=9
Example 4: Binary 1101
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NUMBER SYSTEMS
= (1×2³) + (1×2²) + (0×2¹) + (1×2⁰)
= 8 + 4 + 0 + 1 = 13
Example 5: Binary 1111
= (1×2³) + (1×2²) + (1×2¹) + (1×2⁰)
= 8 + 4 + 2 + 1 = 15
Converting decima numbers to Binary
Steps:
1. Divide the decimal number by 2.
2. Record the remainder.
3. Continue dividing the quotient by 2 until it becomes 0.
4. Read the remainders bottom to top to get the binary number.
Example 1: Decimal 10 → Binary
10 ÷ 2 = 5 R0
5 ÷ 2 = 2 R1
2 ÷ 2 = 1 R0
1 ÷ 2 = 0 R1
Binary = 1010
Example 2: Decimal 7 → Binary
7 ÷ 2 = 3 R1
3 ÷ 2 = 1 R1
1 ÷ 2 = 0 R1
Binary = 111
Example 3: Decimal 12 → Binary
12 ÷ 2 = 6 R0
6 ÷ 2 = 3 R0
3 ÷ 2 = 1 R1
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NUMBER SYSTEMS
1 ÷ 2 = 0 R1
Binary = 1100
Converting Hexadecimal to Octal (Base 16 → Base 8)
Hexadecimal (base 16) and octal (base 8) are often used in computing. The easiest way to
convert hex to octal is through binary as an intermediate step.
Step-by-Step Method:
1. Convert Hexadecimal to Binary
o Each hex digit = 4 binary bits
o Example: 2F → 0010 1111
2. Group Binary Digits in Sets of 3 (from right to left)
o 0010 1111 → 000 010 111 111
3. Convert Each Group to Octal
o 000 = 0, 010 = 2, 111 = 7, 111 = 7
o Octal result: 0277
Example:
Convert Hex 2F to Octal:
• Hex 2F = Binary 00101111
• Binary 00101111 = Octal 57
Converting Hexadecimal to Binary (Base 16 → Base 2)
Each hex digit converts directly to a 4-bit binary group. This makes conversion quick and
straightforward.
Conversion Table:
Hex Binary
0 0000
1 0001
2 0010
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NUMBER SYSTEMS
Hex Binary
3 0011
4 0100
5 0101
6 0110
7 0111
8 1000
9 1001
A 1010
B 1011
C 1100
D 1101
E 1110
F 1111
Example: Convert Hex 2F to Binary
• 2= 0010
• F= 1111
• So, 2F = 00101111 (binary)
Determining Patterns of bits that are possible with the following
Formula:
Number of patterns = 2ⁿ, where n is the number of bits.
Examples:
• 6 bits → 2⁶ = 64 patterns (from 000000 to 111111)
• 7 bits → 2⁷ = 128 patterns
• 8 bits → 2⁸ = 256 patterns
Adding binary numbers in both decimal and binary forms
Example 1011 and 101
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NUMBER SYSTEMS
Step 1: Align the numbers (right to left)
1011 (11 in decimal)
+ 101 (5 in decimal)
1011
+ 0101
Step 2: Add the binary numbers (from right to left)
1 + 1 = 0 (carry 1)
1 + 0 + carry 1 = 0 (carry 1)
0 + 1 + carry 1 = 0 (carry 1)
1 + 0 + carry 1 = 0 (carry 1)
New carry = 1
Result is: 10000
Final Result
• Binary Sum: 10000
• Decimal Sum: 11 + 5 = 16