How Binary and Hexadecimal Work
How computers represent numbers
Computers represent numbers using only ON/OFF — 0 and 1. Once you understand place value, binary and hex are easy.
What you'll learn from this poster
- Everyday numbers (decimal)Ten digits 0-9 / places are ones, tens, hundreds / e.g. 365 = 300+60+5
- Binary (the computer's numbers)Only 0 and 1 / places are 1,2,4,8,16… / e.g. 1101 = 8+4+0+1 = 13 / one digit = 1 bit
- Hexadecimal (a shorter way)Digits 0-9 and A-F (A=10…F=15) / one hex digit = 4 binary digits / e.g. FF = 255
- Try converting255 = 11111111 (binary) / 255 = FF (hex) / group 4 bits at a time / color code #FF0000 is hex too
With just 0 and 1, you can represent any number!
Usage: Free to print and display for learning at school or home (no sign-up). High-resolution portrait PNG (1024×1536); A3 or larger is recommended for display. Please do not sell, use commercially, or redistribute modified versions.