Hexadecimal
Base-16 system (0-F)—compact representation of binary.
Hexadecimal (hex) is a base-16 numeral system using 16 symbols: 0-9 for values 0-9, and A-F for values 10-15. Each hex digit represents exactly 4 binary bits, making it a convenient shorthand for binary.
Conversion:
- Binary to Hex: Group bits in fours, convert each group
- Example: 1101 0101₂ = D5₁₆
Common uses:
- Memory addresses: 0x7FFF0000
- Colors: #FF5733 (RGB)
- MAC addresses: 00:1A:2B:3C:4D:5E
graph LR
Center["Hexadecimal"]:::main
Pre_binary["binary"]:::pre --> Center
click Pre_binary "/terms/binary"
Rel_binary["binary"]:::related -.-> Center
click Rel_binary "/terms/binary"
Rel_byte["byte"]:::related -.-> Center
click Rel_byte "/terms/byte"
classDef main fill:#7c3aed,stroke:#8b5cf6,stroke-width:2px,color:white,font-weight:bold,rx:5,ry:5;
classDef pre fill:#0f172a,stroke:#3b82f6,color:#94a3b8,rx:5,ry:5;
classDef child fill:#0f172a,stroke:#10b981,color:#94a3b8,rx:5,ry:5;
classDef related fill:#0f172a,stroke:#8b5cf6,stroke-dasharray: 5 5,color:#94a3b8,rx:5,ry:5;
linkStyle default stroke:#4b5563,stroke-width:2px;
🧒 Explain Like I'm 5
Imagine counting with 16 different symbols instead of 10. After 9, we use letters: A=10, B=11, up to F=15. It's a shortcut for long [binary](/en/terms/binary) numbers—like using abbreviations for long words!
🤓 Expert Deep Dive
Memory debugging relies heavily on hex dumps. x86 instruction encoding uses hex opcodes. UUID format: 8-4-4-4-12 hex groups (128 bits total). SHA-256 produces 64 hex characters (256 bits). IPv6 uses 8 groups of 4 hex digits.