Which numeral system uses sixteen distinct symbols, 0-9 and A-F?

Which numeral system uses sixteen distinct symbols, 0-9 and A-F?

• A. Hexadecimal
• B. Binary
• C. Decimal
• D. Octal

Answer: (A)

Hexadecimal uses sixteen distinct symbols, 0-9 and A-F, to represent values 0 through 15. It’s base-16, so each digit encodes four bits of information, making binary data compact and readable when written in hex. This four-bit grouping—nibbles—maps neatly to a single hex digit, which is why hexadecimal is widely used for memory addresses, color codes, and other binary-related representations. The other systems don’t fit the description because binary uses only two symbols (0 and 1), decimal uses ten symbols (0-9), and octal uses eight symbols (0-7).

Hexadecimal uses sixteen distinct symbols, 0-9 and A-F, to represent values 0 through 15. It’s base-16, so each digit encodes four bits of information, making binary data compact and readable when written in hex. This four-bit grouping—nibbles—maps neatly to a single hex digit, which is why hexadecimal is widely used for memory addresses, color codes, and other binary-related representations. The other systems don’t fit the description because binary uses only two symbols (0 and 1), decimal uses ten symbols (0-9), and octal uses eight symbols (0-7).