Chapter 3: Number Systems

Introduction

Number systems are the fundamental way of representing numbers in computing and mathematics. Understanding different number systems is crucial for computer science and digital electronics. This chapter will cover binary, octal, decimal, and hexadecimal number systems, conversions between them, weighted and non-weighted codes, encoding schemes, and the concepts of 1's complement and 2's complement.

 

 Number Systems

 

 Binary Number System

The binary number system uses only two digits: 0 and 1. It is the base-2 number system and is fundamental in computer science because computers operate using binary logic.

 

 Example

The binary number 1010 represents the decimal number 10.

 

 Octal Number System

The octal number system uses eight digits: 0 to 7. It is the base-8 number system.

 

 Example

The octal number 12 represents the decimal number 10.

 

 Decimal Number System

The decimal number system uses ten digits: 0 to 9. It is the base-10 number system and is the most commonly used number system by humans.

 

 Example

The decimal number 10 represents ten.

 

 Hexadecimal Number System

The hexadecimal number system uses sixteen digits: 0 to 9 and A to F, where A represents 10, B represents 11, and so on up to F, which represents 15. It is the base-16 number system.

 

 Example

The hexadecimal number A represents the decimal number 10.

 

 Conversion Between Number Systems

 

 Binary to Decimal

To convert a binary number to decimal, multiply each bit by 2 raised to the power of its position from right (starting from 0) and sum the results.


Decimal to Binary

To convert a decimal number to binary, divide the number by 2 and record the remainder. Repeat the process with the quotient until the quotient is 0. The binary number is the remainders read in reverse order.

 

 Example

Decimal 10:

10 ÷ 2 = 5, remainder 0

5 ÷ 2 = 2, remainder 1

2 ÷ 2 = 1, remainder 0

1 ÷ 2 = 0, remainder 1

Binary: 1010

 

 Octal to Decimal

To convert an octal number to decimal, multiply each digit by 8 raised to the power of its position from right (starting from 0) and sum the results.

 

 Decimal to Octal

To convert a decimal number to octal, divide the number by 8 and record the remainder. Repeat the process with the quotient until the quotient is 0. The octal number is the remainders read in reverse order.

 

 Example

Decimal 10:

10 ÷ 8 = 1, remainder 2

1 ÷ 8 = 0, remainder 1

Octal: 12

 

 Hexadecimal to Decimal

To convert a hexadecimal number to decimal, multiply each digit by 16 raised to the power of its position from right (starting from 0) and sum the results. 

 Decimal to Hexadecimal

To convert a decimal number to hexadecimal, divide the number by 16 and record the remainder. Repeat the process with the quotient until the quotient is 0. The hexadecimal number is the remainders read in reverse order.

 

 Example

Decimal 10:

10 ÷ 16 = 0, remainder 10 (A in hexadecimal)

Hexadecimal: A

 

 Weighted Codes

 

 Binary-Coded Decimal (BCD)

BCD is a binary-encoded representation of integer values that uses a 4-bit nibble to represent each digit of a decimal number.

 

 Example

Decimal 45:

4 in BCD: 0100

5 in BCD: 0101

BCD: 0100 0101

 

 84-2-1 Code

A weighted code where each digit is represented by a sum of weights 8, 4, -2, and -1.

 

 Example

Decimal 5:

5 in 84-2-1: 0101

 

 Non-Weighted Codes

 

 Grey Code

Grey code is a binary numeral system where two successive values differ in only one bit.

 

 Example

Decimal 2:

Binary: 10

Grey Code: 11

 

 Excess-3 Code

Excess-3 is a binary-coded decimal code that adds 3 to each decimal digit and then encodes it in binary.

 

 Example

Decimal 4:

4 + 3 = 7

Binary: 0111

 

 Encoding Schemes

 

 ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange)

ASCII is a character encoding standard for electronic communication, representing text in computers.

 

 Example

Character A in ASCII: 65

 

 ISCII (Indian Script Code for Information Interchange)

ISCII is an encoding scheme for representing Indian languages in computers.

 

 Example

The character in ISCII: 164

 

 Unicode

Unicode is a universal character encoding standard that includes a repertoire of over 143,000 characters covering 154 modern and historic scripts.

 

 Example

Character in Unicode: 0905

 

 1’s Complement

1’s complement of a binary number is obtained by inverting all the bits (changing 0 to 1 and 1 to 0).

 

 Example

Binary 1010:

1’s Complement: 0101

 

 2’s Complement

2’s complement of a binary number is obtained by inverting all the bits and adding 1 to the least significant bit.

 

 Example

Binary 1010:

1’s Complement: 0101

Add 1: 0101 + 1 = 0110

2’s Complement: 0110

 

 Conclusion

Understanding number systems and their conversions, codes, and encoding schemes is essential for anyone involved in computer science and digital electronics. This knowledge forms the foundation for more advanced topics in computing.

 

 References

1. Digital Design and Computer Architecture by David Harris and Sarah Harris.

2. Computer System Architecture by M. Morris Mano.

3. Fundamentals of Digital Logic with Verilog Design by Stephen Brown and Zvonko Vranesic.

4. The Unicode Standard. Retrieved from [Unicode](https://www.unicode.org/).

5. ASCII Table. Retrieved from [ASCII Table](https://www.asciitable.com/).

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