What is the hexadecimal number system for?

Everyone who communicates with a computer or other digital equipment, had to meet mysterious records like 10FEF, which seem uninitiated by some cipher. What is behind these symbols? It turns out that these are just numbers. Those that use hexadecimal notation.

Number systems

Every schoolboy knows or at least somewhere heard that all the numbers we usually use form a decimal number system. This name is worn simply because there are only ten characters in it (from 0 to 9). Any number in our familiar system can be written with their help. However, it turns out that it is not always convenient to use it conveniently. For example, when exchanging information between digital devices, it is easiest to use a number system in which there are only two digits: "0" - no signal - or "1" - there is a signal (voltage or something else). It is called binary. However, to describe the processes inside such devices with it, you will have to perform too long and difficult to understand records. Therefore, hexadecimal notation was invented.

The concept of a hexadecimal system

Why is digital system using a system that contains sixteen different characters? As you know, information in computers is transmitted in the form of bytes, which usually contain 8 bits. A unit of data - a computer word - includes 2 bytes, that is 16 bits. Thus, with the help of sixteen different symbols it is possible to describe that information, which is the smallest particle in the exchange. Hexadecimal number system includes our usual numbers (naturally, from 0 to 9), as well as the first letters of the Latin alphabet (A, B, C, D, E, F). It is with the help of these symbols that it is customary to record any unit of information. With them, you can perform any arithmetic operations. That is, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division. The result will also be a hexadecimal number.

Where applicable

A hexadecimal system is used to record error codes. They can occur when different software products are running. For example, this is how the operating system errors are encoded. Each number is standard. You can find out exactly what error occurred during the operation, decrypting it with the help of the instruction. Such symbols are also used when writing programs in low-level languages, such as assembler. Hexadecimal number system is loved by programmers also because its components can very easily be converted to binary ones, which are "native" for all digital technology. These symbols also describe color schemes. In addition, absolutely all files in the computer (and text, and graphics, and even music or video) are presented after the translation in the form of a sequence of binary codes. The original view is most conveniently viewed as hexadecimal characters.

Of course, any number can be written in different number systems. This is decimal, binary, and hexadecimal. To translate a word from one of them to another, you should use such a service as a translator of number systems, or do it yourself using a certain algorithm.