ABSTRACT
Binary, octal and hexadecimal numbers There are infinite ways to represent a number. The four commonly associated with modern computers and digital electronics are decimal, binary, octal and hexadecimal. All four number systems are equally capable of representing any number. Furthermore, a number can be perfectly converted between the various number systems without any loss of numeric value. At a first look, it seems like using any number system other than decimal is complicated and unnecessary. However, since the job of electrical and software engineers is to work with digital circuits, engineers require number systems that can best transfer information between the human world and the digital circuit world. Thus the way in which a number is represented can make it easier for the engineer to perceive the meaning of the number as it applies to a digital circuit, i.e. the appropriate number system can actually make things less complicated.
