What is Hexadecimal?
Hexadecimal or in short hex is a base-16 number system. It uses 16 symbols 0-9 and A-F (A=10, B=11, C=12, D=13, E=14, F=15).
What is Decimal?
Decimal is our everyday base-10 number system. It uses ten digits 0 to 9.
How to Convert Hex to Decimal
- Multiply each digit by 16 raised to a power
- The power starts at 0 for the rightmost digit and increases by 1 moving left
- Add up all the results
This Is How To Convert "2AF" to Decimal
| Hex Digit | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| F | 15 × 16^0 = 15 × 1 | 15 |
| A | 10 × 16^1 = 10 × 16 | 160 |
| 2 | 2 × 16^2 = 2 × 256 | 512 |
Add the results: 15 + 160 + 512 = 687
Result: 2AF in hex = 687 in decimal
Another Example: "C4" to Decimal
- 4 × 16^0 = 4 × 1 = 4
- C × 16^1 = 12 × 16 = 192
Add the results: 4 + 192 = 196
Result: C4 in hex = 196 in decimal
Hex to Decimal Conversion Table
| Hex | Decimal | Hex | Decimal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| 1 | 1 | 9 | 9 |
| 2 | 2 | A | 10 |
| 3 | 3 | B | 11 |
| 4 | 4 | C | 12 |
| 5 | 5 | D | 13 |
| 6 | 6 | E | 14 |
| 7 | 7 | F | 15 |
Key Points
- Each hex digit represents a power of 16.
- The rightmost digit is in the "ones" place (16^0).
- Moving left, each place value is 16 times the previous one.
- Hex is often used in computing as a more compact way to represent binary numbers.