Binary to hexadecimal conversion is fairly straightforward. First observe that 1111 in binary is F in hexadecimal. Also, 11111111 in binary is FF in hexadecimal. Without going into a mathematical proof, one fact that is useful when working with these two number systems is that one hexadecimal character requires 4 "bits", or 4 binary digits. Note that a bit is simply a binary digit. Used in the binary numbering system, it can be 0 or 1. To convert a binary number to hexadecimal, group the number into groups of four bits at a time, starting from the right. Then convert each group of four bits into hexadecimal, thus producing a hexadecimal equivalent to the original binary number. Take, for example, the binary number 11110111001100010000. Breaking it down into groups of four bits would equal 1111 0111 0011 0001 0000. This binary number is equivalent to F7310 in hexadecimal (a much easier number to read). As another example, the binary number 111101 is grouped as 11 1101 or, when "padded" with 0s, 0011 1101. Thus, the hexadecimal equivalent is 3D.
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