Heksadesimaalsel

Heksadesimaalsel, also known as hexadecimal, is a positional numeral system that uses a base of 16. This means it uses 16 distinct symbols to represent numbers. Unlike the decimal system (base-10) which uses digits 0-9, hexadecimal uses digits 0-9 and then the letters A-F to represent values 10 through 15. Specifically, A represents 10, B represents 11, C represents 12, D represents 13, E represents 14, and F represents 15.

The hexadecimal system is widely used in computer science and digital electronics. This is because it provides a more human-readable way to represent binary-coded values. A single hexadecimal digit can represent exactly four binary digits (bits), as 2^4 = 16. For example, the binary number 1111 is equivalent to the decimal number 15, which is represented by the hexadecimal digit F. Similarly, the binary number 1010 is equivalent to the decimal number 10, or the hexadecimal digit A.

This direct mapping makes it convenient to convert between binary and hexadecimal representations, which are fundamental in understanding how computers store and process data. For instance, a byte, which consists of 8 bits, can be represented by two hexadecimal digits. This is much shorter and easier to work with than writing out all eight binary digits.

Common applications of hexadecimal include representing memory addresses, color codes in web design (e.g., #FFFFFF for white), and machine code instructions. Its compact nature and straightforward conversion to binary have made it an indispensable tool for programmers and engineers working with low-level computing concepts.