Imagine you need to count sheep. You could count in English (1, 2, 3... - this is denary/decimal, base 10). A computer counts in binary - only two words: "baa" or "silence" (0 or 1, base 2). But binary gets long fast: "101101010" for 362 sheep! So we use hexadecimal (base 16) as a shorthand - like abbreviations. It's not a different number, just a shorter way to write it. 16A in hex = 362 in denary = 101101010 in binary. Same sheep, three languages!
This introduction covers The Three Languages within Binary & Hex for GCSE Computer Science. Revise Binary & Hex in 3.3 Data Representation for GCSE Computer Science with 16 exam-style questions and 22 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 1 of 15 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Practice questions for Binary & Hex
Which of the following correctly describes the hexadecimal number system?
Explain why hexadecimal is used instead of binary when programmers write memory addresses and colour codes. Give three reasons.