Question

The main advantage of hexadecimal number is the ease of conversion from hexadecimal to....... and vice versa.

• A. Decimal
• B. binary
• C. ASCII
• D. BCD

Hint:

Hexadecimal is effectively just a shorthand representation for binary; one hex digit compresses exactly four binary bits, drastically reducing the length of strings representing memory addresses and data.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
The question tests the fundamental reason why the hexadecimal number system is so widely utilized in computer science alongside binary.


Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Hexadecimal is a base-16 number system, while binary is a base-2 number system.
Since \( 16 = 2^4 \), each individual hexadecimal digit perfectly corresponds to a distinct 4-bit binary sequence, also known as a nibble.
This direct bit-level mapping means that converting between hexadecimal and binary is a simple, direct substitution process without complex mathematical operations.
Converting to decimal, on the other hand, requires polynomial evaluation and repeated division, which is computationally heavier.
Therefore, the main advantage of hexadecimal representation is the ease of conversion to and from binary, making it a compact way for humans to read long binary machine codes.


Step 3: Final Answer:
The correct choice is binary.