Digital Electronics - Number Systems

A digital number system is a positional number system that has some symbols called digits. It provides
a complete set of digits, operators, and rules to perform operations.

In a digital number system, the number of digits used determines the base of the number system. For
example, the binary number system has two digits (0 and 1), hence, the base of the binary number
system is 2.

Digital number systems form the foundation of the modern computing technologies and digital
electronics. They are used to represent, process, and manipulate the information using a digital system.

In this chapter, we will discuss the fundamental concepts of different types of digital number systems.

Types of Digital Number Systems

In digital electronics, the following four types of digital number systems are mainly used −

Binary Number System

Decimal Number System

Octal Number System

Hexadecimal Number System

Let’s discuss each of these number systems in detail.

Binary Number System

Binary number system is the fundamental building block behind the implementation and working of all
digital systems.

Binary number system has two symbols or digits, i.e., 0 and 1. Hence, these two digits are used to
represent information and perform all the digital operations. Each binary digit is called a bit.

Since there are two digits are used in the binary number system, hence its base is 2. Therefore, the
value of a binary number is calculated as the sum of powers of 2.

Binary digits are used in digital system to represent their ON and OFF states. Where, 0 is used to
represent the OFF state of the digital system and 1 is used to represent the ON state of the system.

Overall, the binary number system forms the foundation of computation, digital communication, and
digital information storage. x
Example

Consider the binary number 1101.011. The integer part of this number is 1101 and the fractional part of
this number is 0.011. The digits 1, 0, 1 and 1 of the integer part have weights of 20, 21, 22, 23
respectively. Similarly, the digits 0, 1 and 1 of fractional part have weights of 2-1, 2-2, 2-3 respectively.

Mathematically, we can write it as,

3 2
1101.011 = (1 × 2 ) + (1 × 2 ) +

1 0 −1
(0 × 2 ) + (1 × 2 ) + (0 × 2 ) +

−2 −3
(1 × 2 ) + (1 × 2 )

After simplifying the right-hand side terms, we will get a decimal number, which is an equivalent of
binary number on left-hand side.

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Decimal Number System

Decimal number system is not inherently a digital number system. But it is widely used to represent the
digital information in a human readable format.

Decimal number system is a base 10 number system having 10 unique digits i.e., 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,
and 9. It is the standard number system used by human beings to represent information in a natural
way. However, a digital system cannot directly process the information represented in decimal form, so
it is converted into binary form and then processed.

The base of the decimal number system is 10. So, the value of a decimal number is calculated by the
sum of powers of 10.

Example

Consider the decimal number 1358.246. The integer part of this number is 1358 and the fractional part
of this number is 0.246. The digits 8, 5, 3 and 1 have weights of (10)0, (10)1, (10)2 and (10)3
respectively. Similarly, the digits 2, 4 and 6 have weights of (10)-1, (10)-2 and (10)-3 respectively.

Mathematically, we can write it as,

3 2
1358.246 = (1 × 10 ) + (3 × 10 ) +

1 0 −1
(5 × 10 ) + (8 × 10 ) + (2 × 10 )

−2 −3
+ (4 × 10 ) + (6 × 10 )

x
After simplifying the right-hand side terms, we will get the decimal number, which is on the left-hand
side.
Octal Number System
The octal number system is another type of digital number system used in the field of digital electronics
to represent information. It is a base 8 number system having eight unique digits i.e., 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
and 7.

It is important note that the octal number system is equivalent to 3-bit binary number system as 23 = 8.
Hence, this number system can be used in computing and digital electronic applications.

The value of an octal number is obtained by the sum of powers of 8, as 8 is the base of the octal
number system.

Octal number system is used in the field of digital electronics to represent binary information in
compact form, permissions in Linux or Unix systems, IPv6 address, binary machine code instructions, in
error detection algorithms, etc.

Example

Consider the octal number 1457.236. Integer part of this number is 1457 and fractional part of this
number is 0.236. The digits 7, 5, 4 and 1 have weights of (8)0, (8)1, (8)2 and (8)3 respectively. Similarly,
the digits 2, 3 and 6 have weights of (8)-1, (8)-2, (8)-3 respectively.

Mathematically, we can write it as,

3 2
1457.236 = (1 × 8 ) + (4 × 8 ) +

1 0 −1
(5 × 8 ) + (7 × 8 ) + (2 × 8 ) +

−2 −3
(3 × 8 ) + (6 × 8 )

After simplifying the right-hand side terms, we will get a decimal number, which is an equivalent of octal
number on the left-hand side.

Hexadecimal Number System

The hexadecimal number system is a base 16 number system. It has 16 digits, 0 to 9 and A to F. Where,
A represents 10, B represents 11, C represents 12, D represents 13, E represents 14, and F represents
15. The hexadecimal number system is equivalent to a 4-bit binary number system as 24 = 16. Thus, the
value of a hexadecimal number can be calculated by the sum of powers of 16.

In the field of digital electronics, the hexadecimal number system is used in memory address
representation, digital colors representation, low level computer programming, encoding, assembly
language programming, microcontrollers, keyboards, etc. Hexadecimal number system creates a
balance between digital representation and human readability.

Example x
Consider the hexadecimal number 1A05.2C4. The integer part of this number is 1A05 and the fractional
part of this number is 0.2C4. The digits 5, 0, A and 1 have weights of (16)0, (16)1, (16)2 and (16)3
respectively. Similarly, the digits 2, C and 4 have weights of (16)-1 , (16)-2 and (16)-3 respectively.

Mathematically, we can write it as,

3 2
1A05.2C4 = (1 × 16 ) + (10 × 16 )

1 0
+ (0 × 16 ) + (5 × 16 ) +

−1 −2
(2 × 16 ) + (12 × 16 ) +

−3
(4 × 16 )

After simplifying the right-hand side terms, we will get a decimal number, which is an equivalent of the
hexadecimal number on the left-hand side.

Advantages of Digital Number Systems

The following are some key advantages of digital number systems −

Digital number systems provide a simple and consistent way of representing and
understanding information.
Digital number systems allow to develop efficient methods for storage and transmission of
digital information.

Digital number systems provide methods of representing different types of information like
text, numbers, images, etc.
Digital number systems allow to convert information from one form to full fill the needs of
applications.
Digital number systems create compatibility between hardware and software.

Applications of Digital Number Systems

Digital number systems are used in various digital electronic fields such as computing, internet,
communication, signal processing, and more. Here are a few examples of applications of digital number
systems −

Information Representation

Digital Communication
Storage and Transmission of Digital Data and Information

Algorithm Development
System Programming, etc. x
Conclusion
In this chapter, we discussed the basic concepts of digital number systems. The understanding of
digital number systems is essential for designing, implementing, and troubleshooting the digital
systems. Digital number systems provide different methods of representing and manipulating
information in digital systems.