Hexadecimal - GCSE Computer Science Definition

Hexadecimal, often shortened to "hex," is a base-16 number system used in maths and computing. Unlike our usual counting system, which is base-10 and goes from 0 to 9, hexadecimal goes from 0 to 9 and then uses the letters A to F to stand for the values 10 to 15. This makes it ideal for computers because it can easily represent binary numbers, which are base-2, in a more compact and human-friendly way. For example, the binary number 1111 is simply F in hexadecimal. In GCSE Computer Science, you'll often use hexadecimal to work with digital data like colours and memory addresses, making it an important tool for managing and understanding computer systems.