Decimal Conversion
**A decimal-to-binary and binary-to-decimal converter can be found at the bottom of this page. Simply enter the number you wish to convert, and the converter code will also explain the conversion process.**
Decimal-to-binary follows a straightforward method. It involves dividing the number to be converted, say N, by 2 (since binary is in base 2), and making note of the remainder. We continue dividing the quotient (N / 2) by 2, until we reach the division of (1 / 2), also making note of all remainders.
Example 1: Convert 98 from decimal to binary.
1) Divide 98 by 2, making note of the remainder. Continue dividing quotients by 2, making note of the remainders. Also note the star (*) beside the last remainder.
Division | Remainder, R |
98 / 2 = 49 | R=0 |
49 / 2 = 24 | R=1 |
24 / 2 = 12 | R=0 |
12 / 2 = 6 | R=0 |
6 / 2 = 3 | R=0 |
3 / 2 = 1 | R=1 |
1 / 2 = 0 | R=1* |
2) The sequence of remainders going up gives the answer. Starting from 1*, we have 1100010. Therefore, 98 in decimal is 1100010 in binary.
Example 2: Convert 21 into binary.
Division | Remainder, R |
21 / 2 = 10 | R=1 |
10 / 2 = 5 | R=0 |
5 / 2 = 2 | R=1 |
2 / 2 = 1 | R=0 |
1 / 2 = 0 | R=1 |
Therefore, 21 in decimal is 10101 in binary.
Binary-to-decimal conversion follows the same steps as decimal to binary, except in reverse order. We begin by multiplying 0 x 2 and adding 1. We continue to multiply the numbers in the "results" column by 2, and adding the digits from left to right in our binary number.
Example 1: Convert 11101 from binary to decimal.
Operations | Result |
0 x 2 + 1 | 1 |
1 x 2 + 1 | 3 |
3 x 2 + 1 | 7 |
7 x 2 + 0 | 14 |
14 x 2 + 1 | 29 |
Therefore, 11101 in binary is 29 in decimal.
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