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3. Numeral Systems

Session Preparation:

Brooks: Chapter 3.

Session Material:

Session notes

Session Resources


Topic Description

Numeral systems are methods for expressing numbers using a consistent set of symbols. The four most commonly used numeral systems in computing and mathematics are decimal, binary, octal, and hexadecimal.

  1. Decimal (Base 10):

    • The decimal system is the most familiar, used in everyday counting and calculations. It is a base-10 system, meaning it uses ten digits: 0 through 9. Each position in a decimal number represents a power of 10.
  2. Binary (Base 2):

    • The binary system is fundamental in computing and digital electronics. It is a base-2 system, meaning it uses only two digits: 0 and 1. Each position in a binary number represents a power of 2.
  3. Octal (Base 8):

    • The octal system is a base-8 system, using eight digits: 0 through 7. Each position in an octal number represents a power of 8.
  4. Hexadecimal (Base 16):

    • The hexadecimal system is widely used in computing to represent binary data in a more human-readable form. It is a base-16 system, using sixteen symbols: 0-9 and A-F, where A represents 10, B represents 11, and so on up to F, which represents 15. Each position in a hexadecimal number represents a power of 16.

These numeral systems are used to simplify data representation, processing, and conversion.

Key Concepts

  • Positional numeral systems
  • Binary expansion
  • Binary operations
  • Binary addition and multiplication
  • Converting between binary, decimal, octal, and hexadecimal

Exercises for recitation

Exercise 1: Modular Arithmetic & GCD

a. Find gcd(102, 38)(1)

  1. \(2\)

Two numbers, \(a\) and \(b\), are called relatively prime if gcd \((a, b)=1\). Based on this concept, answer b-c.

b. Is 2 relatively prime to 5? (1)

  1. Yes

c. Are 15 and 20 relatively prime to each other?(1)

  1. No

If \(n\) is some positive integer, we can calculate how many of the numbers between 1 and \(n\) that are relatively prime to \(n\) as \(\varphi(n)\) - this function is called Euler's phi-function. Use Euler's phi-function to answer d-f.

d. What is \(\varphi(15)\)?(1)

  1. 8

e. What is \(\varphi(14)\)? (1)

  1. 6

f. How is the prime factorization linked to the concept of \(\varphi(n)\)?

 

If \(n = pq\), where \(p\) and \(q\) are prime, then \(\varphi(n) = (p-1)(q-1)\)?

Exercise 2: Binary to Decimal

Convert the following binary numbers into decimal numbers.

a. \(110\) (1)

  1. \(6_{10}\)

b. \(1110111100_2\)(1)

  1. \(956_{10}\)

c. \(1001101110110_2\)(1)

  1. \(4982_{10}\)

Exercise 3: Decimal to Binary

State the binary expansion of the following values and then state the number in binary.

a. \(49_{10}\)

 

\(1\cdot2^5 + 1\cdot2^4 + 0\cdot2^3 + 0\cdot 2^2 + 0\cdot 2^1 + 1\cdot2^0\)

\(110001\)

b. \(212_{10}\)

 

\(1\cdot 2^7 + 1\cdot 2^6 + 1 \cdot 2^4 + 1 \cdot 2^2\)

\(11010100_2\)

Exercise 4: Convert to Decimal

State the hexadecimal expansion of the following values and then state the number in decimal.

a. \(37D_{16}\)

 

\(3 \cdot 16^2 + 7 \cdot 16^1 + 13 \cdot 16^0\)

\(893_{10}\)

b. \(1 A 9_{16}\)

 

\(1 \cdot 16^2 + 10 \cdot 16^1 + 9 \cdot 16^0\)

\(425\)

Exercise 5: Hex and Binary

Solve the “crossbins” below. The clues are in hexadecimal, and the answers should be in binary.
Note: If your number is too short, add zeros in front!

Crossbin 1

 

Crossbin 1

Crossbin 2

 

Crossbin 2

Exercise 6: Hex and Binary

Let \(S\) be the set of all binary numbers with 7 characters, and let \(f\) be a function from \(S\) to \(\mathbb{Z}\) given by \(f(x_2) = x_{10}\).

a. Determine \(f(111010)\).(1)

  1. 58

b. The order of a set is the number of elements in a set. For instance the order of \({1, 5, 7, 19, 27, 39}\) is 6. Determine the order of the set \(S\). (1)

  1. 128