Number Systems
Convert between different number systems and bases used in mathematics, computing, and historical contexts
Number Systems Converter
Convert between different number systems and bases used in mathematics, computing, and historical contexts
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About Number Systems
Explore number systems from binary to hexadecimal and beyond, including historical and specialized bases
Historical Context
Number systems have evolved throughout human history to meet different needs. The decimal system (base-10) became dominant likely due to humans having ten fingers. The Babylonians used a sexagesimal (base-60) system that still influences our time and angle measurements. Binary (base-2) emerged as the foundation of modern computing due to its simplicity in electronic implementation. Hexadecimal (base-16) developed as a more human-readable way to represent binary data, with each hex digit representing four binary digits.
Modern Standards
Today, decimal remains our standard everyday number system, while binary is the foundation of all computing. Hexadecimal is widely used in programming for memory addresses, color codes, and binary data representation. Octal (base-8) was historically important in computing but is less common now. Base-64 encoding is crucial for representing binary data in text-based formats like email attachments and web technologies. Roman numerals persist in limited contexts like clock faces, movie sequels, and formal documents.
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Conversion Reference
Quick reference for common number systems conversions