Hexadecimal (base-16), decimal (base-10), and binary (base-2) are different ways to represent numbers. Hex uses 0-9 and A-F, decimal uses 0-9, and binary uses only 0 and 1.
Hex values can use 0x prefix (e.g., 0xFF). Binary values can use 0b prefix (e.g., 0b11111111). Prefixes are optional.
Hex is used for memory addresses, color codes, and compact byte representation. Binary is used for bit manipulation, flags, and understanding machine-level operations.
Each hex digit represents 4 binary bits. For example, F = 1111, A = 1010. This makes hex-binary conversion straightforward.