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Converting Between Denary & Hexadecimal Simplified Revision Notes

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Converting Between Denary & Hexadecimal

Converting Denary to Hexadecimal

Hexadecimal (or hex) uses base 16, meaning it has 16 digits: 0-9 and A-F (where A = 10, B = 11, up to F = 15).

Method 1: Division

  • Divide the denary number by 16.
  • The quotient (whole number result) is the leftmost hex digit.
  • The remainder is the right hex digit.

Worked Example

infoNote

Question**:** Convert 172 to hex

Step 1: Divide the denary number by 16

  • When converting denary to hexadecimal, the first step is to divide the denary number by 16.
  • In this case, we are converting 172 to hex.
  • So, we divide 172 by 16: 172 Ă· 16 = 10 remainder 12.

Step 2: Interpret the quotient (whole number result)

  • The quotient from the division represents the leftmost hex digit.
  • Here, the quotient is 10.
  • In hexadecimal, the number 10 is written as the letter A.
  • So, the leftmost hex digit is A.

Step 3: Interpret the remainder

  • The remainder of the division represents the rightmost hex digit.
  • The remainder is 12.
  • In hexadecimal, the number 12 is written as the letter C.
  • So, the rightmost hex digit is C.

Final Answer: Combine the two hex digits

  • Now that we have both hex digits (A and C), we combine them.
  • Therefore, 172 in hex is written as AC.

Method 2: Binary to Hex

  • Convert the denary number to an 8-bit binary number.
  • Split the binary number into two 4-bit nibbles.
  • Convert each nibble to its hex equivalent.

Worked Example

infoNote

Question**:** Convert 172 to hex

Step 1: Convert the denary number to an 8-bit binary number

  • First, we convert the denary number (172) into its binary form.
  • In binary, 172 is written as 10101100.
  • We use 8 bits because it's a standard format for representing numbers in binary (ensuring two hexadecimal digits).

Step 2: Split the binary number into two 4-bit nibbles

  • Next, we split the 8-bit binary number into two groups of 4 bits, called "nibbles."
  • The first 4 bits are 1010 and the second 4 bits are 1100.

Step 3: Convert each nibble to its hex equivalent

  • Now, we convert each nibble (group of 4 bits) to its hexadecimal equivalent:
  • 1010 in binary is A in hexadecimal.
  • 1100 in binary is C in hexadecimal.

Final Answer: Combine the two hex digits

  • Finally, we combine the two hex digits, A and C.
  • Therefore, 172 in hex is written as AC.

Converting Hexadecimal to Denary

To convert from hex to denary, multiply each hex digit by its place value (16^position) and add the results together.

Method

  • Multiply the left hex digit by 16.
  • Multiply the right hex digit by 1.
  • Add the two values together.

Worked Example

infoNote

Question**:** Convert 3F to denary

Step 1: Multiply the left hex digit by 16

  • The leftmost digit in a hexadecimal number represents the "16s place" because hex is base 16.
  • In this example, the left hex digit is 3.
  • Multiply 3 by 16 3 Ă— 16 = 48.
  • This gives us the value contributed by the left digit.

Step 2: Multiply the right hex digit by 1

  • The rightmost digit represents the "1s place" in hexadecimal.
  • In this example, the right hex digit is F, which is 15 in denary.
  • Multiply 15 by 1 15 Ă— 1 = 15.
  • This gives us the value contributed by the right digit.

Step 3: Add the two values together

  • Finally, add the two values from the previous steps: 48 + 15 = 63.

Final Answer: Denary equivalent

  • Therefore, the hexadecimal number 3F is equal to 63 in denary.
infoNote

Key Points to Remember

  • Hexadecimal is a base-16 system using digits 0-9 and letters A-F (where A=10, B=11, ... F=15).
  • To convert denary to hexadecimal, divide by 16 and use the quotient and remainder as hex digits.
  • Alternatively, convert denary to binary, split the binary into 4-bit nibbles, and convert each to hex.
  • To convert hexadecimal to denary, multiply the left digit by 16 and the right digit by 1, then add the results.
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