What is Decimal or Base10 And How Does It Work?

In this article we will go through the most basic topics of Decimal (aka Base10): what is decimal, how it works and how to convert text to Base10 format.

What Is Decimal or Base10?

Decimal, often known as Base10, is a ten-symbol numeral system that uses the following symbols: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. It is the most widely used numeral system in the world, and it serves as the foundation for basic arithmetic and mathematics.

Decimal numbers are often used for everyday calculations, measurements, and financial transactions because they can represent a wide range of values.

How Does Decimal Work?

In the decimal system, each digit or “place” has a specific value based on powers of 10. The rightmost digit represents units (10⁰), the next digit to the left represents tens (10¹), the next hundreds (10²), and so on. This positional notation system allows for easy representation of numbers, making it ideal for human use.

This positional notation system allows for easy representation of numbers, making it ideal for human use.

For example, the decimal number “1234” can be broken down as follows:

The rightmost digit “4” represents 4 * 10⁰, which is 4.
The next digit “3” represents 3 * 10¹, which is 30.
The following digit “2” represents 2 * 10², which is 200.

The leftmost digit “1” represents 1 * 10³, which is 1000.

Adding these values together gives us the decimal number 1234.

Convert Text Into Decimal Or Base-10

To convert text into decimal or Base-10, you would need to follow a character encoding system like ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange).

Here’s a simple example to illustrate this process.

Text to Convert: “HELLO”.

Character to Decimal: