There are three common number systems used.
| Information Category: | Number Systems: | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Binary | Decimal | Hexadecimal | |
| Number of digits | 2 (0,1) | 10 (0-9) | 16 (0-9,A-F) |
| Reason for existance as is | Computes understand two values easily | Humans have ten fingers, so we made a system based on ten | Easily interpreted to/from binary |
| How much you can count on fingers | 1023 | 10 (technically using Unary) | Not possible |
| Conversions | 2^the bit place - 1 if place value is 1, then add everything up for decimal | Awkward converting to either system | Each digit represents a combination of 4 binary bits (0=0000,1=0001,2=0010...E=1110,F=1111) |
| Math | Very easy addition/subtraction, bits just overflow into the next one. | You likely use this one. | Similar to decimal, just 6 more digits |
As you can see, all three have very different uses. The best pick would just depend on what you are doing.
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