Octal: meaning, definitions and examples
๐ป
octal
[ หษk.tษl ]
number system
Octal is a base-8 number system that uses digits from 0 to 7. It is commonly used in computing and digital electronics as a shorthand for binary code, equating groups of three binary digits to a single octal digit.
Synonyms
base-8, octal number system
Examples of usage
- The octal representation of the binary number 101010 is 52.
- Many computer systems internally use octal for operand specification.
- In programming, octal literals can often be indicated with a leading zero.
Translations
Translations of the word "octal" in other languages:
๐ต๐น octal
๐ฎ๐ณ เคเค เคเคงเคพเคฐเคฟเคค
๐ฉ๐ช oktal
๐ฎ๐ฉ oktal
๐บ๐ฆ ะฒะพััะผะตัะธัะฝะธะน
๐ต๐ฑ รณsemkowy
๐ฏ๐ต 8้ฒๆฐ
๐ซ๐ท octal
๐ช๐ธ octal
๐น๐ท sekizli
๐ฐ๐ท 8์ง์
๐ธ๐ฆ ุซู ุงูู
๐จ๐ฟ osmiฤnรก
๐ธ๐ฐ osemkovรฝ
๐จ๐ณ ๅ ซ่ฟๅถ
๐ธ๐ฎ osmiลกki
๐ฎ๐ธ รกttugur
๐ฐ๐ฟ ัะตะณัะทะดัะบ
๐ฌ๐ช แ แแแแแฃแ แ
๐ฆ๐ฟ sษkkizli
๐ฒ๐ฝ octal
Etymology
The term 'octal' comes from the Latin word 'octo', meaning 'eight'. The practice of using base-8 dates back to ancient number systems but became more prominent with the advent of modern computing. In the early days of computing, octal was favored because it simplifies the representation of binary data: three bits can be represented as a single octal digit. This was especially useful in systems that operated on 12 or 24 bits, allowing programmers to write more compact code. As technology evolved, octal was used primarily in specific contexts, particularly related to UNIX file permissions and some programming languages. Today, while hexadecimal (base-16) has gained more popularity due to its efficiency in representing larger binary values, octal still finds its niche in certain technical fields.