Question 319 of 480
What is the binary representation of the decimal number 13?
Correct Answer:
B
Explanation
To find the binary representation of the decimal number 13, we will convert the decimal number into binary step by step.
### Step-by-Step Explanation
1. **Understanding Binary Representation**:
- Binary is a base-2 numeral system that uses only two digits: 0 and 1. Each digit represents a power of 2, starting from the rightmost digit, which represents \(2^0\), the next \(2^1\), then \(2^2\), and so on.
2. **Finding the Largest Power of 2**:
- First, we need to find the largest power of 2 that is less than or equal to 13. The powers of 2 are:
- \(2^0 = 1\)
- \(2^1 = 2\)
- \(2^2 = 4\)
- \(2^3 = 8\)
- \(2^4 = 16\) (this is too large)
- The largest power of 2 less than or equal to 13 is \(2^3 = 8\).
3. **Subtracting the Largest Power of 2**:
- We subtract 8 from 13:
\[
13 - 8 = 5
\]
4. **Finding the Next Largest Power of 2**:
- Now we need to find the largest power of 2 that is less than or equal to 5. The powers of 2 are:
- \(2^0 = 1\)
- \(2^1 = 2\)
- \(2^2 = 4\)
- The largest power of 2 less than or equal to 5 is \(2^2 = 4\).
5. **Subtracting Again**:
- We subtract 4 from 5:
\[
5 - 4 = 1
\]
6. **Finding the Next Largest Power of 2**:
- Now we need to find the largest power of 2 that is less than or equal to 1. The only power of 2 that fits is:
- \(2^0 = 1\)
- So we take \(2^0\).
7. **Final Subtraction**:
- We subtract 1 from 1:
\[
1 - 1 = 0
\]
- We have now expressed 13 as the sum of powers of 2:
\[
13 = 2^3 + 2^2 + 2^0
\]
8. **Writing the Binary Representation**:
- In binary, we represent the presence of each power of 2 with a 1 and the absence with a 0. The powers of 2 we used are \(2^3\), \(2^2\), and \(2^0\). Therefore, we write:
- \(2^3\) (8) is present → 1
- \(2^2\) (4) is present → 1
- \(2^1\) (2) is absent → 0
- \(2^0\) (1) is present → 1
- This gives us the binary representation:
\[
1101
\]
### Conclusion
Thus, the binary representation of the decimal number 13 is **B. 1101**.
### Explanation of Other Options
- **A. 1100**: This represents \(8 + 4 = 12\), which is not equal to 13.
- **C. 1011**: This represents \(8 + 2 + 1 = 11\), which is also not equal to 13.
- **D. 1110**: This represents \(8 + 4 + 2 = 14\), which exceeds 13.
### Revision Summary
- The binary system uses only 0s and 1s, representing powers of 2.
- To convert a decimal number to binary, find the largest powers of 2 that sum to the number.
- The binary representation of 13 is 1101, which corresponds to \(2^3 + 2^2 + 2^0\).
- Always check each option against the decimal value to confirm correctness.