New Formulas Q - HEXTODEC//DECTOHEX

Hi Sean,

No, it's for converting between hexadecimal to decimal numbers.

Hope that helps!

Have a fantastic day!

Best,

Andrée Starå

Workflow Consultant @ Get Done Consulting

Happy to help!

You're correct! It's also used for colors. (every day you learn something new) 

• To define colours on web pages. Each primary colour – red, green and blue is characterised by two hexadecimal digits.  The format being used is #RRGGBB.  RR stands for red, GG stands for green and BB stands for blue.

Another example is programming. It's used to make the code more efficient.

Here's an excellent explanation:

3) Decimal number system

Decimal number system has only ten (10) digits from 0 to 9. Every number (value) represents with 0,1,2,3,4,5,6, 7,8 and 9 in this number system. The base of decimal number system is 10, because it has only 10 digits.

Applications:

We use decimals every day, while dealing with money, weight, length etc. Decimal numbers are used in situations where more precision is required, than the whole numbers can provide. For example, when we calculate our weight on the weighing machine, we do not always find the weight equal to a whole number on the scale. In order to know our exact weight we must understand what the decimal value on the scale means. This section deals with the concept of decimals in three important fields of our daily life.

4) Hexadecimal number system

A Hexadecimal number system has sixteen (16) alphanumeric values from 0 to 9 and A to F. Every number (value) represents with 0,1,2,3,4,5,6, 7,8,9,A,B,C,D,E and F in this number system. The base of hexadecimal number system is 16, because it has 16 alphanumeric values. Here A is 10, B is 11, C is 12, D is 13, E is 14 and F is 15.

Applications:

A computer understands information composed of only Zeros and Ones. Therefore, when we type some letters or words, data is processed by the computer in the form of 0s and 1s. 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. Computer is usually designed to process hexadecimal number.

For example, the images you see on your computer screen have been encoded with a binary line for each pixel. If a screen is using a 16-bit code, then each pixel has been told what color to display based on which bits are 0s and which bits are 1s. As a result, 2^16 represents 65,536 different colors! We also find the binary number system in a branch of mathematics known as Boolean algebra. This field of mathematics is concerned with logic and truth values. Here, statements that are either true or false are then assigned a 0 or 1.

Hexadecimal numbering system is often used by programmers to simplify the binary numbering system.  Since 16 is equivalent to 24, there is a linear relationship between the numbers 2 and 16.

This means that one hexadecimal digit is equivalent to four binary digits.  Computers use binary numbering system while humans use hexadecimal numbering system to shorten binary and make it easier to understand.

Hexadecimals are used in the following:

• To define locations in memory. Hexadecimals can characterise every byte as two hexadecimal digits only compared to eight digits when using binary.
• To define colours on web pages. Each primary colour – red, green and blue is characterised by two hexadecimal digits.  The format being used is #RRGGBB.  RR stands for red, GG stands for green and BB stands for blue.
• To represent Media Access Control (MAC) addresses. MAC addresses consist of 12-digit hexadecimal numbers.  The format being used is either MM:MM:MM:SS:SS:SS or MMMM-MMSS-SSSS.  The first 6 digits of the MAC address represent the ID of the adapter manufacturer while the last 6 digits represent the serial number of the adapter.
• To display error messages. Hexadecimals are used to define the memory location of the error.  This is useful for programmers in finding and fixing errors.

Hope that helps!