In binary to hexadecimal conversion, how many bits represent a single hex digit?

In binary to hexadecimal conversion, how many bits represent a single hex digit?

• A. 8 bits
• B. 2 bits
• C. 4 bits
• D. 1 bit

Answer: (C)

Each hexadecimal digit encodes 16 different values, so it takes four binary bits to represent all those possibilities. Since 2^4 equals 16, four bits are needed to map to one hex digit (0–9 and A–F). When converting, you group the binary digits into sets of four from the right, padding with leading zeros if needed, and then convert each quartet to its hex equivalent. For example, 1101 0011 breaks into 1101 (D) and 0011 (3), giving the hex value D3. So the number of bits per hex digit is four.

Each hexadecimal digit encodes 16 different values, so it takes four binary bits to represent all those possibilities. Since 2^4 equals 16, four bits are needed to map to one hex digit (0–9 and A–F). When converting, you group the binary digits into sets of four from the right, padding with leading zeros if needed, and then convert each quartet to its hex equivalent. For example, 1101 0011 breaks into 1101 (D) and 0011 (3), giving the hex value D3. So the number of bits per hex digit is four.