Keep reading. Soon, you’ll know the same spell.

Hexadecimal is a base 16 number system. Remember that word “base” while your reading the rest of this (no, not the same as Baseband!). The “base” of hexadecimal is 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0A, 0B, 0C, 0D, 0E, 0F, 10. Sixteen digits, total, from which to create all the numbers you’ll ever need. And did you see it, that magic in the last digit. Well, that’s nothing compared to the digit that follows: 11.

Start with a more familiar number system: base 10, or decimal. The “base” of the base 10 number system is 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. From these digits come all other digits in the base 10 system. Now look at those digits again. They stop at 10. The next digit is, of course, 11. Remember that. When you pass the end of the first number set in any base number, the next digit is always 11. The pattern continues at the end of each number set. Even 20 is followed by 21, 30 by 31 and so on.

Once you’ve mastered decimal, it’s helpful to study an even simpler number system: binary. In binary, you get two digits, 0 and 1. So there’s 00, 01 . . . Pow, you’ve reached the end of the first base set. Guess what the next number is:

11

Of course, the way your average network administrator will see the first three digits in binary is:

0000 0000

0000 0001

0000 0011

Now, we’ll do it in hex. It does get a little trickier because letters enter the mix. No choice, there just aren’t enough equivalent digits in decimal to cover hex. So characters (A – F) are used to complete the base sets. Here, again, is the first set in hex:

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

0A ---Remember, this is hex. So this number isn’t 10.

0B

0C

0D

0E

0F

10 ----This number, in hex, is 10.

Now, get ready for the magic. Guess what the next number in hex will be:

11

Now you’ve entered the second hex number set. You’ll think it’s familiar but don’t be fooled.

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19 ----- After this, the familiarity ends.

1A

1B

1C

1D

1E

1F

20 ----- Becomes familiar again. For a little while.

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

2A

2B

2C

2D

2E

2F

30

Now look at decimal, hexadecimal and binary side by side:

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Decimal	Hexadecimal	Binary
0	00	0000 0000
1	01	0000 0001
2	02	0000 0010
3	03	0000 0011
4	04	0000 0100
5	05	0000 0101
6	06	0000 0110
7	07	0000 0111
8	08	0000 1000
9	09	0000 1001
10	0A	0000 1010
11	0B	0000 1011
12

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