How to Count in Base 16
The base 16 numbering system, also called hexadecimal or hex, was created to make it easier for people to use a digital numbering system, such as binary. While binary is easy to read for computers, it becomes time consuming for people to use a system requiring many digits to represent a single number. Hex is still readable by computers but is more easily accessible to people. Hex uses a base of 16 digits including the integers 0 through 9 and letters A through F to represent the numbers 0 through 15.
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Instructions
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Compare hexadecimal digits with base-10 digits to get a grasp of the new numbering pattern. Base-10: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. In Base-16: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E, F.
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Add a preceding 1 to the next group of 15 numbers. In Base-10: 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30. In hexadecimal: 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E.
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Notice that the pattern of hex is similar to the usual decimal system but with 16 numbers instead of 10. Where in Base-10 you add a preceding 1 after 10 digits: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, etc., in hex you add the preceding 1 after each group of 16 digits: 1 through F then 11 through 1F, then 21 through 2F, etc.
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