Article
Article
- Mathematics
- Algebra and number theory
- Numbering systems
- Computing & Information Technology
- Computing - general
- Numbering systems
Numbering systems
Article By:
Mata-Toledo, Ramon A. Department of Computer Science, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Last updated:2014
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.461500
- Conversion between bases
- Computer representation of integers
- Arithmetic operations
- Additional Readings
A numbering system is a systematic method for representing numbers using a particular set of symbols. The most commonly used numbering system is the decimal system, based on the number 10, which is called the basis or radix of the system. The basis tells how many different individual symbols there are in the system to represent numbers. In the decimal system these symbols are the digits 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. The range of these numbers varies from 0 to (10 − 1). This is a particular case of a more general rule: Given any positive basis or radix N, there are N different individual symbols that can be used to write numbers in that system. The range of these numbers varies from 0 to N − 1.
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