Converting a Number from One Base to Another in Java

Converting a Number from One Base to Another in Java

Number systems, or bases, play an important role in any programming language. In Java, converting a number from one base to another is a relatively simple process. Whether you’re working with decimal (base 10), binary (base 2), hexadecimal (base 16) or any other base, it’s possible to convert a number from one base to another in Java.

Number Conversion Overview

At its core, the conversion process involves multiplying the value of a digit by its corresponding power of the base and then adding them all together. In simpler terms, it’s a process of breaking down a number into its component parts and then forming it back up as a number in the new base. Here’s an example:

    Decimal	Binary
    1024	10000
    

To convert this number from decimal (base 10) to binary (base 2), we break the number into its component parts and multiply each component by its corresponding power of two.

    10 x 2^10 = 1024
    

Then, we combine them all to get the number in its new base.

    1 x 2^10 + 0 x 2^9 + 0 x 2^8 + 0 x 2^7 + 0 x 2^6 + 0 x 2^5 + 0 x 2^4 + 0 x 2^3 + 0 x 2^2 + 0 x 2^1 + 0 x 2^0  =  10000 
    

We can see that 1024 in decimal (base 10) is equivalent to 10000 in binary (base 2).

Converting a Number in Java

In Java, there are several approaches we can take to convert a number from one base to another. One approach is to use the Integer.parseInt() method. This method will take a string representation of a number in the specified base and convert it to an int.

    int decimalValue = Integer.parseInt("10000", 2);
    

The decimalValue variable will now contain the value 1024 which is equivalent to 10000 in binary (base 2).

Another approach to convert a number from one base to another is to use the Integer.toString() method. This method will take an int value and convert it to its string representation in the specified base.

    String binaryValue = Integer.toString(1024, 2);
    

The binaryValue variable will now contain the value "10000" which is equivalent to 1024 in decimal (base 10).

Conclusion

In this article, we looked at how to convert a number from one base to another in Java. We saw two different approaches, using the Integer.parseInt() and Integer.toString() methods, and how they can be used to easily convert a number from one base to another.