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.
The Three Languages
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!
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.