16 in Binary

How to convert 16 to binary

Divide by 2, write down the remainder, and repeat with the quotient until it reaches 0. The remainders, read from the last row up to the first, spell out 10000.

Check it the other way

To verify, read 10000 left to right, giving each digit its place value and adding up the places that hold a 1.

Adding the contributions: 16 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 = 16. The conversion checks out.

16 in every base

Worth knowing about 16

Sixteen is the base of hexadecimal and the first number to need a second hex digit, while in binary it opens the five-bit era as 10000.

Convert another number

Nearby numbers

• 8 in binary
• 13 in binary
• 14 in binary
• 15 in binary
• 17 in binary
• 18 in binary
• 19 in binary

Or browse the full table at numbers in binary.

FAQ

What is 16 in binary?

In binary, 16 is written 10000. That is 5 digits, each one a power of two: the pattern says which of 1, 2, 4, 8, and so on to add together to make 16. Computers store it as the byte 00010000, padding the front with zeros.

How many bits does 16 need?

It takes 5 bits to write 16 in binary, since 10000 has 5 digits and dropping any of them would change the value. Real hardware rounds up to whole bytes, so 16 normally sits in eight bits as 00010000, with the unused positions set to zero.

What is 16 in hex?

In hex, 16 is written 10. Because 16 is a power of two, hex lines up neatly with binary: one hex digit always covers four bits, so 10000 compresses cleanly. The octal form, common in file permissions, is 20. Same number, three different notations.