A base-16 number system using sixteen symbols (0-9 and A-F) to represent values, commonly used in computing and digital electronics. Each digit represents four binary digits.
From Greek 'hex' (six) and Latin 'decem' (ten), literally meaning 'six and ten' or sixteen. Coined in the mid-20th century as computer science developed the need for efficient ways to represent binary data.
Hexadecimal is beloved by programmers because it creates a perfect marriage between human readability and computer efficiency - each hex digit represents exactly four binary digits, making it much easier to read than long strings of 1s and 0s. Color codes like #FF0000 for red are hexadecimal values that web designers use daily.
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