In the hexadecimal numbering system, the number 16 is represented as 10. This may seem a bit surprising, especially if you’re more familiar with decimal (base 10) numbers, where 16 is simply 16.
The hexadecimal system is a base-16 system, which means it uses 16 different symbols to represent values. These symbols include:
- 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 (the same as decimal)
- A, B, C, D, E, F (which represent the values 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15)
So, the breakdown is as follows:
- The digit ‘1’ in the ’16s’ place (which is equivalent to 1 * 16)
- The digit ‘0’ in the ‘1s’ place (which is equivalent to 0 * 1)
When you combine these, you get:
(1 * 16) + (0 * 1) = 16
This is why the decimal number 16 translates to 10 in hexadecimal. Understanding this conversion is essential, especially in fields like computer science and digital electronics, where hexadecimal is commonly used to simplify binary representations.