Fast and Effective Embedded Systems Design, 2nd Edition

Appendix A

Some Number Systems

A.1. Binary, Decimal, and Hexadecimal

The number system we are most familiar with, decimal, makes use of 10 different symbols to represent numbers, i.e., 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. Each of these symbols represents a number, and we make larger numbers by using groups of symbols. In this case the digit most to the right represents units, the next represents tens, the next hundreds, and so on. For example, the number 249, shown in Fig. A.1, is evaluated by adding the values in each position:

2 hundreds + 4 tens + 9 units = 249

OR

2 × 10² + 4 × 10¹ + 9 × 10⁰ = 249

Figure A.1 The decimal number 249.

The base or radix of ...