What is a numeral system?

In a nutshell

A numeral system is a mathematical notation for expressing numbers using digits or symbols.

Examples include:

• Decimal (Base 10): Ten numbers used (0-9)
• Binary (Base 2): Two numbers used: (0 and 1)
• Octal (Base 8): Eight numbers used: 0-7
• Hexadecimal (Base 16): 10 numbers (0-9 from the decimal system), and 6 letters (A (10), B (11), C (12), D (13), E (14) F, (15))

What is the point of a numeral system?

Each numeral system offers unique benefits depending on the context. For example, the decimal system is useful for human communication, binary for digital computers, and hexadecimal numbers in programming to provide a more human-readable representation of binary.