Hexadecimal
Hexadecimal is a base-16 numeral system used in computing and digital electronics to represent binary data in a more human-readable format. It uses 16 symbols: digits 0-9 and letters A-F (or a-f) to represent values from 0 to 15, where each hexadecimal digit corresponds to four binary digits (bits). This system is widely employed for memory addresses, color codes, and debugging low-level software.
Developers should learn hexadecimal for tasks involving low-level programming, hardware interaction, and data representation, such as when working with memory addresses in systems programming, defining colors in web design (e.g., CSS hex codes), or analyzing binary data in debugging tools. It simplifies the manipulation and interpretation of binary data, making it essential for fields like embedded systems, cybersecurity, and computer graphics.