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Arbitrary Base Converter

Enter a number, source base, and target base for instant conversion (supports 2~36 bases)

Input Number
Source Base
Target Base

Base Conversion Principle

① Other base → Decimal: Expand by place value and sum
② Decimal → Other base: Repeated division (reverse order of remainders)
③ Direct base conversion: Use decimal as intermediate bridge

Base conversion is a fundamental skill in computer science. Numbers in different bases are simply different representations of the same value.

Each digit of the input must be less than the source base. For example, binary can only contain 0 and 1. Digits greater than 9 are represented by A~Z (10~35). Maximum supported base is 36.

What Is Base Conversion?

A number base (or radix) defines the digit set used in a counting system. Common bases include binary (2), octal (8), decimal (10), and hexadecimal (16). Base conversion expresses the same numeric value in a different base.

Place Value Expansion

Any base to decimal: multiply each digit by the base raised to its position, then sum. For example, binary 101 = 1×2²+0×2¹+1×2⁰ = 5.

Repeated Division

Decimal to other base: repeatedly divide by the target base, collecting remainders. Read from the last quotient backward through all remainders.

Digits & Letters

Values 10~35 are represented by A~Z respectively. For example, in hexadecimal, 10=A, 11=B, 15=F. Bases higher than 10 use letters.

Applications

Programming uses hexadecimal for memory addresses and color values; octal for file permissions; binary for low-level algorithm design.

💡 Teaching Example: Convert binary 1101 to decimal. Expand by place value: 1×2³+1×2²+0×2¹+1×2⁰ = 8+4+0+1 = 13. So 1101₂ = 13₁₀.

Applications

Computer Programming Network Addressing Digital Circuit Design Computer Science Exam Preparation

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you convert between different number bases?
The core method: first convert to decimal (expand by place value), then convert from decimal to the target base (repeated division). For example, binary→decimal: multiply each digit by its power of 2 and sum; decimal→hexadecimal: repeatedly divide by 16 and collect remainders.
Why do computers commonly use binary, octal, and hexadecimal?
Computers use binary internally (0 and 1) because electronic circuits have only on/off states. Octal and hexadecimal are compact representations of binary: 1 octal digit = 3 binary digits, 1 hex digit = 4 binary digits, making them easier to read and write.
How do you convert binary to decimal?
Expand by place value and sum: from right to left, multiply each digit by its power of 2 (starting from 2^0), then add them up. For example, 1101₂ = 1×2³+1×2²+0×2¹+1×2⁰ = 8+4+0+1 = 13₁₀.
How do you convert decimal to hexadecimal?
Repeatedly divide by 16 and collect remainders from last to first. Digits 10~15 are represented by A~F. For example, 255÷16=15 remainder 15(F), 15÷16=0 remainder 15(F), so 255₁₀ = FF₁₆.

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