In this article, we will cover the fundamentals of Hexadecimal (aka Base16): what it is, how it works, and how to convert text to Base16 format.
What Is Hexadecimal or Base16?
Hexadecimal, sometimes known as Base16, is a number system that uses 16 different symbols to represent numerical values. It is an essential component of digital systems and computing, providing a concise and human-readable manner to express binary information. Hexadecimal values are represented by a mix of numerals 0-9 and letters A-F.
Each digit in hexadecimal, known as a “hex digit,” can take on one of 16 possible values. The digits 0-9 represent decimal values 0-9, while the letters A-F represent decimal values 10-15. Hexadecimal provides a convenient way to express binary data more compactly than in binary form.
Hexadecimal is widely used in various computing contexts, such as programming, data representation, and addressing memory locations. It is particularly valuable in contexts where binary values need to be presented and manipulated in a more concise and human-readable format.
Hexadecimal Table
A hexadecimal table is a reference chart or grid that displays the hexadecimal numbers (base16) and their corresponding binary, decimal, and ASCII values. It is a valuable tool for programmers, system administrators, and individuals working with digital systems.
| Hexadecimal | Binary | Decimal | ASCII |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0000 | 0 | NUL |
| 1 | 0001 | 1 | SOH |
| 2 | 0010 | 2 | STX |
| 3 | 0011 | 3 | ETX |
| 4 | 0100 | 4 | EOT |
| 5 | 0101 | 5 | ENQ |
| 6 | 0110 | 6 | ACK |
| 7 | 0111 | 7 | BEL |
| 8 | 1000 | 8 | BS |
| 9 | 1001 | 9 | HT |
| A | 1010 | 10 | A |
| B | 1011 | 11 | B |
| C | 1100 | 12 | C |
| D | 1101 | 13 | D |
| E | 1110 | 14 | E |
| F | 1111 | 15 | F |
How To Convert Text Into Hexadecimal Or Base-16
Converting text to hexadecimal or Base-16 includes assigning a hexadecimal code to each character in the text. The ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) encoding scheme gives each character a unique hexadecimal value, allowing text to be expressed in hexadecimal form.
Let’s take an example to illustrate this process.
Assume you wish to convert “HELLO” to hexadecimal.
Character to Decimal:
- ‘H’ corresponds to 72 in decimal.
- ‘E’ corresponds to 69 in decimal.
- ‘L’ corresponds to 76 in decimal.
- ‘L’ corresponds to 76 in decimal.
- ‘O’ corresponds to 79 in decimal.
Decimal to Hexadecimal:
- For ‘H’ (72), the hexadecimal representation is 48.
- For ‘E’ (69), it’s 45.
- For ‘L’ (76), it’s 4C.
- For ‘L’ (76), it’s 4C.
- For ‘O’ (79), it’s 4F.
So, the text “HELLO” in hexadecimal is represented as: 48 45 4C 4C 4F.
Each character is transformed to its hexadecimal equivalent, and spaces are utilized to separate various characters’ hexadecimal representations.
Online Text to Hexadecimal and Vice Versa Converter
An online Text to Hexadecimal Converter is a useful tool for converting text into hexadecimal (Base16) format quickly and easily. This tool can be especially handy in various computer science, programming, and data analysis tasks.
If you want to try this conversion online, you can use our Text to Hexadecimal Converter.
