Introduction to Number Systems

Our number system has 10 as its base. This numbering system (decimal) may have arisen quite naturally from counting on our ten fingers. There are other common number bases that we use without thinking about them, such as when we deal with time (base 60 or sexagesimal): there are, 60 minutes in an hour, and 60 seconds in a minute. Aviators also use a different base when they are dealing with directions and degrees.

In Computer Science, we use binary (base 2), octal (base 8), and hexadecimal (base 16) quite a bit. After learning how the bases work, we will look into their relationship to modern computers and how computer calculations are performed.