Why do computers use binary instead of octal or hexadecimal

Source: Internet
Author: User

Electronic computers can process and process information at an extremely high speed, including data processing and processing, and have great information storage capabilities. The data is represented in the physical state of the device in the computer. The binary digital system is used to process all characters or symbols in the computer.

The advantage of binary is that it is easy to represent, and the operation rules are simple, saving devices. It is known that components with two stable states (such as transistor conduction and cutoff, relay connection and disconnection, and electrical pulse level) are easy to find, however, it is difficult to find components with 10 stable states to correspond to 10 digits in decimal format. The base number of the binary number is 2, and there are only two numbers, 0 and 1. The decimal number is 0, 1 ,... 9. Ten digits.


Because binary is the simplest, with only 0 and 1, the computation speed is also the fastest, which is consistent with the speed pursued by computers. However, in hexadecimal notation, decimal or octal, there is no binary speed.

Binary Systems are naturally not used in computers. But in terms of human-computer communication, the binary system has a fatal weakness-the number Writing is particularly lengthy. For example, the decimal system 100000 is written as binary system 11000011010100000. To solve this problem, we also use the octal and hexadecimal carry systems in the theory and application of computers. The three digits in the binary system are exactly counted as digits in the octal system. In this way, the length of digits is only 1/3 of the binary system, which is similar to the length of digits in the decimal system. For example, the decimal system 100000 is written as the octal system 303240. A hexadecimal digit can represent four digits in binary notation. In this way, a byte is exactly two digits in hexadecimal notation. The hexadecimal system requires sixteen different symbols. Except for the ten 0-9 symbols, the six commonly used symbols A, B, C, D, E, and F are represented respectively (decimal) 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. In this way, the decimal system 100000 is written as the hexadecimal system 186a0.

Binary, octal, binary, and hexadecimal are easy to convert. The use of the octal and hexadecimal systems avoids the inconvenience caused by lengthy numbers, therefore, the octal and hexadecimal systems have become common notes for human-computer communication. In the future, how many hexadecimal computers will be used? In the future, three states of hardware (transistor...) can be developed ...) It can adopt octal notation. If it is developed to represent the four-digit state, it can adopt hexadecimal notation, and, which is the positive power of 2 ,,,,

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