Radix
Radix is a way of counting and representing numbers. You know how you count like "1, 2, 3, 4" on your fingers? That's counting in base 10 or "decimal" which means you have 10 fingers to count on.
But there are other ways to count too! Some people in different cultures count in base 12 or base 20 because they have traditionally counted using their thumbs or toes too. This is called a "radix" or "base."
When we write numbers in our decimal system, we use digits like 0-9 to represent values. But in other radixes, they use different symbols to represent different values. For example, in hexadecimal (base 16), they use the numbers 0-9 and the letters A-F to represent values.
It's important to understand radix because computers use different radixes to represent numbers too. They often use binary (base 2) which only has two digits- 0 and 1. Understanding how to convert between different radixes is important for programming and understanding computer science in general.
But there are other ways to count too! Some people in different cultures count in base 12 or base 20 because they have traditionally counted using their thumbs or toes too. This is called a "radix" or "base."
When we write numbers in our decimal system, we use digits like 0-9 to represent values. But in other radixes, they use different symbols to represent different values. For example, in hexadecimal (base 16), they use the numbers 0-9 and the letters A-F to represent values.
It's important to understand radix because computers use different radixes to represent numbers too. They often use binary (base 2) which only has two digits- 0 and 1. Understanding how to convert between different radixes is important for programming and understanding computer science in general.
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