Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated August 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated August 2025
Definition
The hexadecimal system is a numbering system that uses 16 digits (0-9 and A-F) to represent values. It is commonly used in computer science because it can represent large numbers concisely and is easily convertible to binary.
The binary system is a numbering system that uses only two digits (0 and 1) to represent values. Hexadecimal is often used as a shorthand for writing and understanding binary code.
The decimal system is the base-10 numbering system we use every day. Hexadecimal provides an alternative way of representing numbers that can be easier for computers to work with.
RGB Color Codes: In web design and graphics, RGB color codes are often represented using hexadecimal notation (#RRGGBB), where each pair of hex digits represents the intensity of red, green, and blue components of the color.