[Dev-C++] Re: Hexadecimal Numbers

[Alan T. <ala...@3n...>]

"Hex" is a spell cast by an intelligent agent.  This sometimes affects the
execution of software by stealing clock cycles on the computer.

        Seriously . . . The hexadecimal system is a base 16 system, where
the decimal system is base 10.  This means that each digit can represent
0-15, as opposed to 0-9 in decimal.  After 9, of course, you need more
digits that don`t exist in base 10.  The letters "A" through "F" represent
the digit values 10 through 15.  Each digit is a power of 16, no longer a
power of 10, because this is a "base 16" system --- each digit can represent
one of 16 different values (0-15).
        So, the hexadecimal number      1C       converted to the decimal
system is 1x16^1 (16 to the first power) + Cx16^0 (16 to the zeroth power,
or 1),
which means 16 + 12 = 28.

        When you think about it, it's a lot like the decimal system, where
274 = 2x10^2 + 7x10^1 + 4x10^0.  It just seems weird because we have ten
fingers and normally use the decimal (base 10) system.  Binary works the
same way but in base 2 (only two values, 0 or 1, for each digit).


Hope this helps,   Alan