Number system

A set of values used to represent different quantities is known as Number System. For
example, a number system can be used to represent the number of students in a class or
number of viewers watching a certain TV program etc. The digital computer represents all
kinds of data and information in binary numbers. It includes audio, graphics, video, text and
numbers. The total number of digits used in a number system is called its base or radix.

Number system is two types:

1. NonPositional Systems: Counting on fingers along with stones, pebbles or sticks

were used to indicate values. This approach uses an additive approach or non-
positional number system. Each Finger, stone, pebble is of same value and are
simply added to find the value. E.g. IIIII => 5

2. Positional Number Systems: In positional number system there exist few symbols
called digits. These digits represent different values depending on the position they
occupy in number. The value in each digit is determined by three considerations

1. Digit itself
2. Position of digit in number
3. Base of the number system

Base is defined as the total number of digits available in number system

Number
System

Non
Positional Positional
system System

Decimal Binary Hexadeci

Octal
mal

Positional (numeral) system

When we type some letters or words, the computer translates them in numbers as
computers can understand only numbers. A computer can understand positional number
system where there are only a few symbols called digits and these symbols represent
different values depending on the position they occupy in the number.
A positional (numeral) system is a system for representation of numbers by an ordered
set of numerals symbols (called digits) in which the value of a numeral symbol depends on
its position. For each position a unique symbol or a limited set of symbols is used.

In the decimal number system, there are ten possible values that can appear in each digit
position, and so there are ten numerals required to represent the quantity in each digit
position (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9). Decimal number system is known as
a positional number system, because the value of the number depends on the position of
the digits. For example, the number 123 has a very different value than the number 321,
although the same digits are used in both numbers. In a positional number system, the
value of each digit is determined by which place it appears in the full number. The lowest
place value is the rightmost position, and each successive position to the left has a higher
place value.

In decimal number system, the rightmost position represents the "ones" column, the next
position represents the "tens" column, the next position represents "hundreds", etc.
Therefore, the number 123 represents 1 hundred and 2 tens and 3 ones, whereas the
number 321 represents 3 hundreds and 2 tens and 1 one.

The values of each position correspond to powers of the base of the number system. So for
our decimal number system, which uses base 10, the place values correspond to powers
of 10:

... 1000 100 10 1

... 103 102 101 100

In a positional notation system, the number base is called the radix. Thus, the base ten
system that we normally use has a radix of 10. The term radix and base can be used
interchangeably.

Given a base, b, distinct symbols must be used to represent the numbers 0, 1,..., b-1

For base 10 we use the 10 symbols 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

For binary (base 2) we use the 2 symbols 0 and 1
For octal (base 8) we use the 8 symbols 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
For hex (base 16) we use the 16 symbols 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E,
F.

In a positional notation system, numbers are deciphered from right to left. Number positions
by assigning 0 to the rightmost position in the number and increasing the number of the
position by 1 as we number the positions from right to left. The character at position k
determines how many bk (b raised to the k-th power) units are present. Recall that b 0 is 1
for all b. The restriction is that only the symbols for 0,..,b-1 may appear in each position of
the number.
The binary number system is also a positional notation numbering system, but in this case,
the base is not ten, but is instead two. Each digit position in a binary number represents a
power of two. So, when we write a binary number, each binary digit is multiplied by an
appropriate power of 2 based on the position in the number.

For example: 101101 = 1 x 25 + 0 x 24 + 1 x 23 + 1 x 22 + 0 x 21 + 1 x 20

= 1 x 32 + 0 x 16 + 1 x 8 + 1 x 4 + 0 x 2 + 1 x 1
= 32 + 8 + 4 + 1
= 45