What does the term 'Hexadecimal' refer to in mathematics?

The term 'Hexadecimal' refers to a Base 16 numbering scheme. This system utilizes sixteen distinct symbols to represent values: the digits 0 through 9 and the letters A through F, which correspond to the decimal values 10 through 15, respectively.

Understanding this system is important because it is widely used in computing and digital electronics. For example, each hexadecimal digit can represent four binary digits (bits), making it a convenient way to express large binary numbers in a more compact and human-readable form. In programming, it's often used to define color values in graphic design and memory addresses in systems programming.

The importance of recognizing the correct base is crucial in distinguishing it from other numbering systems such as binary, decimal, and octal, which are represented by different bases (2, 10, and 8, respectively).