Binary Subtraction Calculator

Binary Subtraction Calc…
111001
- 110111
= 10
Step by step solution?
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Results
Binary notation
0 - 0 = 10
Decimal notation
57 - 55 = 2
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Binary Subtraction Calculator

Created by Wojciech Sas, PhD
Reviewed by Bogna Szyk and Jack Bowater
Last updated: Mar 26, 2024
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Current rating: 4.3
(466 votes)
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Use the binary subtraction calculator

whenever you want to quickly find the result
of the subtraction of two binary numbers.
Table of contents:
Subtraction of binary numbers
Methods of subtraction of binary

numbers
How to use the binary subtraction

calculator?
How do we represent sign in binary

numbers?
FAQ
This binary subtraction calculator is a great

tool to help you understand how to subtract
binary numbers. Here you can find
descriptions of the two primary methods that
deal with the subtraction of binary numbers,
namely the Borrow Method and the
Complement Method. There is also a short
note about the different representations of
signed and unsigned binary numbers at the
end.
If you need to add numbers, let's try our

binary addition calculator.
Subtraction of binary numbers
The subtraction of binary numbers is

essentially the same as for the decimal,
hexadecimal, or any other system of numbers.
Just to clarify, binary numbers are values

containing only two types of digits, 0 or 1.
Every digit refers to the consecutive powers
of 2 and whether it should be multiplied by 0
or 1. As an example, 13 in decimal notation is
equivalent to 1101 in binary notation, because
13 = 8 + 4 + 1, or 13 = 1×2³ + 1×2² + 0×2¹ +
1×2⁰ using scientific notation. Use binary
converter whenever you need to switch
between decimal and binary notation.
So, how to subtract binary numbers, e.g.,

1101 - 110? We can always convert these
values to decimals, classically subtract them,
and then transform them once again into the
binary form:
1101₂ - 110₂ = 13₁₀ - 6₁₀ = 7₁₀ = 111₂
Here ₂ denotes a binary number, and ₁₀ is a

decimal number. As long as the number of
digits is relatively small, we can do it by hand.
For long numbers, it gets quite tricky. And
what if we wanted to subtract a larger
number from a smaller one? Here is where
the binary subtraction calculator comes in
handy! Let's jump to the next section to learn
about the different methods of solving these
problems.
Methods of subtraction of binary

numbers
In this part, we will describe two methods of

dealing with the subtraction of binary
numbers, the Borrow Method and the
Complement Method. There are several
other tricks as well, but these two are the
most prevalent and help you understand the
problem better.
1. Borrow Method – all you have to do is

align the numbers as you would do with
regular decimal subtraction. The
procedure is almost the same! The only
difference is that you operate with only
two digits, not ten. You need to subtract
digits in the same column, following
these rules:
1 - 0 = 1;
1 - 1 = 0;
0 - 0 = 0 ; and
0 - 1 = 1 , which actually
comes from 10 - 1 = 1 , as you
borrow 1 from the closest digit to
the left, and after all that, the 1
you borrowed becomes 0 .
2. Complement Method – the process

consists of a few steps:
Align the numbers as would

normally;
Fill the second number with
leading 0's so that both values
have the same number of digits;
Replace the second number with
its two's complement;
Add these two binary numbers;
Remove the leading 1 from the
result, as there will be one digit
more than we need; and
That's it! The remaining part is the
final result.
If you want to see a step-by-step solution for

your problem using the Complement Method,
select "Yes" at the bottom of our binary
subtraction calculator. For a more detailed
explanation, also check our two's complement
calculator.
By the way, did you know that the concept of

binary subtraction is quite common in several
parts of a developers' toolkit? For example,
the chmod command is one of them.
How to use the binary subtraction

calculator?
Let's see how to subtract two binary numbers,

e.g., 110 0101 - 1000 1100. It's quite tricky
because the second number has more digits
than the first one, so we are about to
subtract a larger number from a smaller
one.
There is a clever way to work around this task.

We can use the identity a - b = -(b - a), so
we're going to reverse the order of
subtraction and add a minus sign at the
end. In other words, we estimate the absolute
value and eventually attach a minus sign.
Let's use the complement method:
1. By reversing the order, we have 1000

1100 - 110 0101.
2. Fill the second value with one leading

zero, 1000 1100 - 0110 0101.
3. Find the complement of the second

number – switch digits (0→1, 1→0) and
add 1, 0110 0101 → 1001 1011.
4. Add the first number and the

complement of the second one together,
1000 1100 + 1001 1011 = 1 0010 0111.
5. Remove the leading 1 and any adjacent

0's, 1 0010 0111 → 10 0111.
6. Remember to add a minus sign so the

outcome becomes -10 0111.
7. The final result of the subtraction of

these binary numbers is 110 0101 -
1000 1100 = -10 0111.
8. We can also convert the values to

decimals to confirm the computations:
110 0101₂ - 1000 1100₂ = 101₁₀ - 140₁₀
= -39₁₀ = -10 0111₂. Wonderful!
Before making any computation, there is one

crucial thing we have to take into account –
the representation of numbers in binary
code, especially the sign. We'll explain that in
the next section.
How do we represent sign in binary

numbers?
There are at least three methods:
Use the minus sign ( - ) like we usually

do with decimal numbers. In the 8-bit
code, 5 in binary is 0000 0101 , while
-5 is -0000 0101 .
Use the first digit as the sign,

typically 0 for positive and 1 for
negative. Now -5 becomes 1000
0101 .
Represent a negative number as the

complement of the positive one, so
-5 is now 1111 1011 . The first digit
still indicates the sign of a number.
Our binary subtraction calculator uses the

minus sign, i.e., the 1st method. Whenever
you copy a value to our tool, make sure you
input the number using the appropriate
representation, e.g., if it has the first digit
representing the sign, substitute 1 with - ,
or leave 0 as it is.
FAQ
How do I subtract binary numbers?
There are at least three methods you can use

to subtract binary numbers:
Borrow method – align the numbers

and subtract by borrowing as always,
remembering that 10 - 1 resolves to
1.
Complement method – the idea is to
replace the subtracted number with its
complement and add the two numbers.
Remember to omit the leading 1 from
the result!
Conversion method – convert your
binary numbers to decimals, subtract,
and then transform them back to binary.
Effective for small numbers.
How do I find the complement of a

binary number?
To determine the complement of a binary

number in the 8-bit system, follow these
steps:
1. Make sure your binary has 8 digits. If it

has fewer, add some leading zeros.
2. Replace every digit with the opposite
one: 0→1 and 1→0 .
3. Increase the number by 1 . That's it!
What is the result of binary

subtraction 101 - 11?
101 - 11 = 10 . Indeed, using the borrow

method, we see the last digit of the result
must be 1 - 1 = 0 . Then to perform 0 -
1 we need to borrow 1 : 0 - 1 = 10 - 1
= 1 . And that's it: since we've borrowed, no
digits are left. Hence, the result is 10 .
Wojciech Sas, PhD
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× 1 2 3 )
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Binary Subtraction Calc…

Step by step solution?

Check out 13 similar binary

Binary Subtraction Calculator

Please rate this calculator.

Use the binary subtraction calculator

Subtraction of binary numbers

Methods of subtraction of binary

How to use the binary subtraction

How do we represent sign in binary

This binary subtraction calculator is a great

If you need to add numbers, let's try our

Subtraction of binary numbers

The subtraction of binary numbers is

Just to clarify, binary numbers are values

So, how to subtract binary numbers, e.g.,

1101₂ - 110₂ = 13₁₀ - 6₁₀ = 7₁₀ = 111₂

Here ₂ denotes a binary number, and ₁₀ is a

Methods of subtraction of binary

In this part, we will describe two methods of

1. Borrow Method – all you have to do is

2. Complement Method – the process

Align the numbers as would

If you want to see a step-by-step solution for

By the way, did you know that the concept of

How to use the binary subtraction

Let's see how to subtract two binary numbers,

There is a clever way to work around this task.

1. By reversing the order, we have 1000

2. Fill the second value with one leading

3. Find the complement of the second

4. Add the first number and the

5. Remove the leading 1 and any adjacent

6. Remember to add a minus sign so the

7. The final result of the subtraction of

8. We can also convert the values to

Before making any computation, there is one

How do we represent sign in binary

There are at least three methods:

Use the minus sign ( - ) like we usually

Use the first digit as the sign,

Represent a negative number as the

Our binary subtraction calculator uses the

How do I subtract binary numbers?

There are at least three methods you can use

Borrow method – align the numbers

How do I find the complement of a

To determine the complement of a binary

1. Make sure your binary has 8 digits. If it

What is the result of binary

101 - 11 = 10 . Indeed, using the borrow

Wojciech Sas, PhD

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